I 


as?  SDK 


JEANNETTE 
MARKS 


THE  SUN  CHASER 


L_ 


THE  SUN  CHASER 

A  PLAY  IN  FOUR  ACTS' 

By 
JEANNETTE  MARKS 


CINCINNATI 

STEWART  KIDD  COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 


,.  *   COPYRIGHT,  1922 
3BANNETTE  MARKS 


All  Rights  Reserved 
COPYRIGHT  IN  ENGLAND 

This  play  is  fully  protected  by  the  copyright  law.  No  per- 
formance,  either  professional  or  amateur,  may  be  given  without 
the  written  permission  of  the  author,  who  may  be  addressed  in 
care  of  the  publishers,  Steward  Kidd  Company,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 


Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America 

THE  CLAXTON  PRESS 
'Everybody  for  Books."    This  is  one  of  the  Interlaken  Library. 


590557 


ACTS 

Page 

I.     NORTHERLY,  A  FRONTIER  VILLAGE  ....      7 

II.     THE  SUN  CHASER'S  KITCHEN 37 

III.  INTERIOR  OF  HARDING'S  STORE 63 

IV.  INTERIOR  OF  THE  LOCKUP 107 


CHARACTERS 

OLD  JOE,  father  of  Sybil  Clark  and  citizen 

of  Northerly 

MACK,  citizen  of  Northerly 
RANNEY  HARDING,  the  storekeeper  of 

Northerly 

MRS.  HARDING,  his  wife 
STEPHEN  SHORT,  the  sheriff 
SIMON  BROWN,  the  Northerly  doctor 
MRS.  BROWN,  his  wife 
ROSE,  their  child 
AMBROSE  CLARK,  the  Sun  Chaser 
SYBIL  CLARK,  his  wife 
PEARL,  their  child 
MINNIE  \ 

SUE         v  School  children 
TOMMY  ) 
EXXOR     \ 

PIERRE     V  French  Canadian  lumberjacks 
BATEESE  ; 
Two  KANUCKS 


THE  SUN  CHASER 


ACT  I. 

NORTHERLY:  AN  AMERICAN  FRONTIER 
VILLAGE 

It  is  the  afternoon  before  Christmas,  in  an 
American  frontier  village  called  Northerly,  in 
the  year  19 10.  The  houses  are  all  of  the 
"shack"  variety,  hastily  put  up,  some  painted, 
some  unpainted;  some  clapboarded,  some 
without  clapboards,  and  covered  with  construc 
tion  paper,  crimson  and  black.  Yet,  set  in  the 
midst  of  the  green  and  gray,  the  purple  and 
rose  of  the  hills,  the  level  golden  flare  of  the 
late  afternoon  sun  over  the  village  and  upon 
banked-up  gray  snow  clouds  in  the  East,  the 
whole  effect  of  the  little  town  is  crudely  and 
gaudily  beautiful  The  place  looks  prosperous, 
but  even  the  attempted  civilizing  touches  empha 
size  its  roughness. 

To  the  east  (L)  is  a  long  straggling  village 
street,  winding  up  into  the  dark  fir-clad  hills. 
To  the  west  (R)  is  a  road,  also  leading  of 
towards  the  hills.  In  the  distance,  up  the  road 
to  the  west,  can  be  seen  the  Lockup.  Its  huge 
iron-grated  door  with  the  afternoon  sun  stream 
ing  upon  it  shines  like  some  monstrous  gridiron. 
To  the  north  (back)  is  a  great  cliff -like  heap 
of  rocks  beneath  which  the  village  lies. 
1 


.THE  :SUN    CHASER 


:is'  a  group  of  houses.     HARD- 
:  I  KG  V  \MovV  vz«#*  "ris  big  sign  occupy  the  fore 
ground  backed  up  just  under  the  cliff.    The  sign 
hung  below  the  porch  roof  reads:  HARDING' s 

DRY  GOODS,  GROSSERIES  AND  FAMILY  LICKERS. 

On  either  side  of  the  porch  steps,  tacked  to  the 
porch  posts,  are  two  signs,  gaily  painted  in  red 
and  green.  One  reads:  BUY  YOUR  FAVORITE 
CHRISTMAS  PRESENT — A  BOTTLE  OF  AMBER'S 
PURE  WHISKEY.  The  porch  is  dilapidated. 
There  are  two  double  windows  on  either  side 
of  the  door,  in  which  are  displayed  such  things 
as  a  bunch  of  bananas,  some  strings  of  silver 
Christmas  balls,  some  pink  popcorn  balls,  a 
big  box  of  yellow  peanut  brittle,  a  Christmas 
decorated  case  of  chewing  gum  with  a  sign  over 
it,  WIGLEY'S  NEAR-MINT  CHEW,  a  big  red  Santa 
Claus  advertisement,  some  gaily  colored  muf 
flers  and  mittens,  some  white  net  bags  of  nuts, 
two  or  three  pairs  of  skates  and  a  few  toys,  a 
cardboard  on  which  is  spelt  SWEET  CYDER  FOR 
SALE,  several  plugs  of  tobacco,  some  pipes,  etc., 
etc. 

The  Doctor's  office  and  house  are  opposite  the 
store.  On  the  Doctor's  gate  hangs  a  sign, 
SIMON  BROWN,  M.  D.  In  front  of  the  Doc 
tor's  place  is  a  low  cedar  hedge, — the  only  touch 
of  the  comeliness  of  an  old  world  visible  any 
where.  And  there  is  a  rough  schoolhouse  with 
a  bell  hung  out  from  its  gable.  There  are  two 
lamps  affixed  on  posts  and  others  extending  east 
down  the  straggling  street. 

8 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


A  group  of  men  are  loafing  on  the  porch  of  the 
store,  spitting,  swapping  stories,  etc.,  etc.  They 
are  Old  Joe,  a  small,  pugnacious,  white-haired 
old  man;  Mack,  a  Scotchman,  big,  grizzle- 
haired;  Harding,  the  storekeeper,  unkempt, 
fat,  avaricious,  sly;  and  Stephen  Short,  the  Sher 
iff,  young,  strong,  earnest,  clean,  uncommuni 
cative.  Old  Joe  comes  to  the  edge  of  the  steps 
from  time  to  time  and,  shading  his  eyes,  looks 
eastward,  then  walks  tremulously  back. 
The  Doctor's  wife  and  their  little  girl  about 
six  years  old  are  just  inside  the  hedge.  Mrs. 
Brown  is  a  plain,  neatly  dressed,  intelligent- 
looking  woman,  somewhat  above  her  neighbors 
in  appearance;  Rose  is  a  pretty  child,  pink- 
cheeked,  healthy,  attractively  dressed. 
From  time  to  time  they  look  eastward  as  if  they 
were  watching  for  someone. 

ROSE  (in  a  high,  sweet,  childish  voice) 

Mummy,  is  he  coming  to  light  lamps  now? 
MRS.  BROWN 

No,  dear,  I  don't  see  him.    (She  shades  her  eyes 

and  looks  anxiously.) 
ROSE 

Mummy,  what  makes  people  call  him  the  Sun 

Chaser  for? 

(Mrs.  Harding  comes  around  from  the  back 
of  the  store  and  crosses  the  street.  She  is  a 
middle-aged  woman,  slatternly  and  tired  in 
her  appearance  with  a  general  look  of  having 
been  beaten  down  by  the  experience  of  living.) 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  HARDING  (gazing  eastward  into  the  sky  and 
speaking  to  Mrs.  Brown) 
My,  ain't  them  clouds  just  handsome ! 

MRS.  BROWN 

Snow,  I  guess,  Mrs.  Harding,  and  not  any  com 
mon  storm,  either. 

MRS.  HARDING 

Well,  it's  held  off  dreadful  long  this  year ! 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  but  we  will  be  having  a  white  Christmas 
all  the  same ! 
MRS.  HARDING  (with  a  sigh) 

Suits  me.     Easier  to  keep  things  clean  at  the 
store.    Men  is  something  awful  for  dirt. 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  they  do  rather  take  it  for  granted  that  there 
will  always  be  a  woman  to  clean  up  after  them. 

MRS.  HARDING 

'Cept  when  they're  left  plumb  alone.     Then 
they're  as  neat  as  a  pin — like  Old  Joe.     His 
place  would  do  any  woman  proud  for  neatness. 
(She  sighs.) 
ROSE  (repeating  her  question) 

Mummy,  what  makes  people  call  him  the  Sun 
Chaser? 

MRS.  HARDING 

My  sakes,  isn't  it  like  a  child  to  ask  all  those 
questions ! 

(Mrs.  Brown  smiles  at  the  woman.) 

ROSE  (insistently) 

Mummy,  what  makes  people  call  him  the  Sun 
Chaser? 

10 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  BROWN 

Because  he  chases  the  sun. 

( The  Doctor  comes  out  of  the  house.  He  is  a 
big,  powerfully  built  man,  but  too  heavy  in  his 
massive  proportions.  His  face  is  clean-cut,  in 
telligent,  kind.  He  nods  to  his  neighbors.  The 
men  from  the  store  porch  call  "Hello,  Doc." 
The  women  speak  more  carefully.  He  stands 
by  his  wife  and  child.) 

ROSE  (turning  to  her  father  and  throwing  her  arm 
about  him) 

Daddy,  has  the  Sun  Chaser  ever  caught  the 
sun? 

DOCTOR 

Not  yet. 

ROSE 

If  he  can't  catch  the  sun,  then  why  does  he  run 
after  it,  Daddy? 

DOCTOR 

Because  he  wants  to  be  happy.  That's  why  I 
got  Ambrose  Clark  the  chance  to  light  the 
lamps.  I  thought  it  might  help  to  make  him 
happy. 

MRS.  HARDING  (sniffing  wearily  and  gathering  her 
shawl  closer) 

Happy !  Well,  Ambrose  Clark  is  drunk  all  the 
time,  Doctor.  That's  what  he  is!  I  don't  see 
the  use  of  talking  about  happiness. 

DOCTOR  (thoughtfully) 

Nevertheless,  Mrs.  Harding,  he  is  looking  for 
happiness. 

ii 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  HARDING  (shivering  a  little) 

Happiness !  Why  doesn't  Ambrose  get  it  then 
and  stop — (She  pauses.) 

DOCTOR 

And  stop  sun  chasing? 

MRS.  HARDING 

Yes. 

DOCTOR 

Because  so  often  happiness  is  hard  to  find  and 
still  harder  to  keep. 

MRS.  BROWN 

And  just  look  at  Sybil!  She  isn't  the  same 
handsome  girl  she  was  when  Old  Joe  Elvey 
gave  her  to  Ambrose  Clark. 

DOCTOR 

I  know. 

MRS.  HARDING  (harshly,  as  she  goes  nearer  the 
Doctor) 

Why  couldn't  you  give  him  a  little  dose  of 
poison?  Same  as  you  would  to  a  sick  dog? 
Only  he  suffers  more  and  can  do  more  harm. 

DOCTOR 

Society  is  so  organized,  Mrs.  Harding,  that  the 
law  does  not  allow  you  to  poison  a  man  because 
he  is  drunk. 

MRS.  HARDING 

Land  sakes,  it's  a  queer  world!  You  can't 
poison  him,  but  he  can  poison  himself.  And  it 
do  seem  a  terrible  scourge  to  fall  on  all,  includ 
ing  Old  Joe. 

ROSE 

Mummy,  what's  "drunk"  mean? 

12 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  BROWN 

He  takes  something  that  makes — that  makes 
him — makes  him  different,  dear,  and — 
ROSE 

And  wild,  Mummy? 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  that's  it. 
ROSE  (impatiently) 

Isn't  he  coming  now  to  light  the  lamps? 

MRS.  BROWN 

He  has  a  long  way  to  come,  dear.  (She  points 
eastward  at  a  place  in  the  hills. )  See  that  gray 
speck  up  there  way  beyond  all  the  houses? 
That's  the  Sun  Chaser's  house,  and  it  must  be 
two  miles  to  get  to  it. 

ROSE 

Listen,  Daddy !     Is  that  wooden-shod  making 
all  that  noise?     (She  holds  up  a  little  finger.) 
DOCTOR  (listening) 
Perhaps! 

ROSE 

There,  don't  you  hear  him,  clip-clop,  clippity- 
clop,  clip-clop? 

DOCTOR 

See  the  lights  come  on ! 

(In  the  distance  a  flame,  pale  yellow  in  the 
afternoon  sunshine,  flashes  on.  Then  another 
and  another,  but  slowly.) 

ROSE  (clasping  her  hands  excitedly) 

See!  See!  Another!  If  light  was  flame, 
Daddy,  it  would  be  just  like  flowers  blooming, 
wouldn't  it? 

13 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR 

Yes,  dear,  just! 

(Now  is  heard  the  sound  of  a  lame  step  beating 
on  the  hard  road.) 

ROSE 

Daddy,  that  is  wooden-shod  and  leather-shod 

coming  together,  isn't  it? 
DOCTOR 

Yes,  the  Sun  Chaser  is  coming  now  and  that  is 

his  lame  step. 
ROSE 

Is  wooden-shod  the  lame  step? 
DOCTOR 

Yes. 
ROSE  (very  excited) 

He's  comin'  fast,  Daddy,  clip-clop,  clippity-clop, 

clip-clop!     (Again  the  reverberation  of  a  lame 

step  is  heard.)     See  the  'nother  light! 

(Another  lamp  flashes  on.) 

DOCTOR 

Listen,  he  is  coming  fast! 

(A  curious  cry,  full  of  echo  and  the  sound  of 
flapping  wings,  is  heard.) 

ROSE  (holding  up  a  little  finger) 
What's  that,  Sun  Chaser  laughing? 

MRS.  BROWN  (drawing  Rose  to  her) 

No,  dear,  that's  some  sea  gulls  crying  over  there 
in  the  Pond  beyond  the  North  Rocks.  ( To  the 
Doctor.)  Oh,  Simon,  somehow  it  does  not  seem 
right  for  Rose  to  think  so  much  about  all  this! 
14 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR  (sternly) 

Let  her  understand  what  she  can  of  it! 

MRS.  HARDING 

Yes,  it  do  seem  hard  on  the  child. 
DOCTOR 

Rose  shall  not  be  taught  from  childhood  up  to 
escape  from  a  sense  of  responsibility  for  others. 

MRS.    BROWN 

Simon,  it's  cruel  to  the  child. 

DOCTOR 

No,  kind.     Civilization  depends  on  the  degree 
of  our  intelligent  sympathy  one  with  another. 
ROSE  (full  of  wonder) 

Oh!  Sun  Chaser  is  comin'  fast  now!  See 
'nother  light,  Daddy ! 

( The  reverberation  of  the  lame  steps  becomes 
louder  and  louder.) 

MRS.  HARDING  (shading  her  eyes) 

That  him  coming,  Doctor? 
DOCTOR 

Yes,  that's  Ambrose. 

MRS.  BROWN 

Pearl  is  with  him,  poor  child ! 

MRS.  HARDING  (hurrying  off) 

Well,  I  must  just  get  back  to  them  mince  pies 
I  was  making.  I  can't  abide  seeing  that  little 
Pearl  suffering! 

DOCTOR 

I'll  cross  with  you,  Mrs.  Harding.  (He  crosses 
and  goes  up  onto  the  store  porch.  Mrs.  Hard 
ing  slips  around  to  the  back.) 

15 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  BROWN 

Come,  Rose,  come!  (She  starts  in,  Rose's 
hand  in  hers.) 

ROSE   (going  unwillingly  and  speaking  in  a  high 
childish  voice) 

What's  Pearl  try  to  take  care  of  Sun  Chaser 
for,  Mummy? 

MRS.  BROWN 

Because  she  loves  him. 

ROSE 

Hear  that,  Mummy!  (Louder  and  louder 
comes  the  reverberation  of  the  lame  step.  She 
lifts  up  a  little  finger.)  Clip-clop,  clippity-clop ! 
Wooden-shod  is  working  hard,  Mummy. 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  come   in,   dear!     (They  step   inside   the 

door.) 
DOCTOR  (from  the  store  porch,  looking  down  the 

road) 

Yes,  that's  Ambrose  coming.     I  can  see  him 

now  down  there. 
MACK  (shading  his  eyes) 

And  there's  the  bonnie  wee  thing !    Weel,  I  must 

just  be  going  hame.     It  looks  stormy  there  in 

the  east ! 
HARDING  (shrewdly  to  Mack) 

Ye've  no  cause  to  hurry,  man!     The  snow  is 

coming,  but  it'll  not  overtake  you. 

OLD   JOE 

Mack's  loath  to  see  the  little  one.  He's  a  heart 
for  another's  trouble. 

HARDING 

You  never  thought  to  see  your  own  grandchild 
caught  in  a  trap,  eh  ?  ^ 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD   JOE 

Yes,  and  the  trap  what  they  call  civilization. 
MACK  (pauses  to  say  the  one  word  slowly,  then 

goes) 

Cee-veel-i-za-tion ! 
OLD  JOE  (looks  about  nervously  as  the  sound  of 

the  Sun  Chaser's  lame  step  grows  louder) 

How  he  beats  the  ground  with  that  wooden  foot 

o'his!    Oh,  God! 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (gravely) 

Something  must  be  done ! 
OLD  JOE  (nodding  head) 

Yes,  yes,  Stephen  Short,  but  see  to  it  you  do 

the  right  thing!     An  old  man  is  watching,  and 

there's  a  woman  and  a  child  to  profit  or  lose  by 

what  you  do. 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (ominously) 

There's  but  one  thing  to  do ! 
OLD  JOE  (strangely) 

What'd  happen  to  me  if  I  went  out  and  knocked 

him  on  the  head? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Why,  you'd  be  arrested  for  murdering  your  son- 
in-law,  put  in  prison  and  electrocuted  like  as 
not. 
OLD  JOE  (savagely) 

You  know  someone  ought  to  knock  him  on  the 
head.  He's  no  good  to  himself  any  more  and 
he's  a  danger  to  my  daughter  and  grandchild. 
Couldn't  you  take  him  away  and  keep  him  away 
forever?  (In  a  whisper.)  There's  the  little 
thing  now ! 

( The  Sun  Chaser  and  Pearl  come  in  from  the 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


east.  Pearl  is  clinging  to  her  father's  hand, 
stumbling  along  as  fast  as  she  can  beside  his 
wild  step.  When  he  reaches  a  street  lamp,  he 
leaps  up  at  it,  trying  to  light  the  lamp  with 
shaking  hand,  and  dropping  match  after  match 
Pearl  gives  him. 

The  Sun  Chaser  has  a  shock  of  tawny  hair 
rather  long.  His  face  is  fine-featured,  pale, 
flickering  with  intensity:  his  eyes  big  and  wild. 
He  is  without  hat,  his  shirt  open  and  thrown 
back  as  if  he  had  torn  it  open  for  coolness'  sake. 
He  wears  a  patched  and  ragged  gray-green  suit. 
Back  from  his  shoulders  flaps  an  old  cape. 

Pearl  is  clad  in  a  thin  little  gingham  dress. 
Over  her  shoulders  is  pinned  a  gray  worsted 
shawl.  On  her  head  she  wears  a  shabby  knitted 
cap  of  pale  blue.  She  has  on  stubby  shoes,  the 
brass  tip  still  on  the  right  one,  the  other  without 
it;  the  buttons,  except  for  three  or  four,  gone. 
She  is  a  sweet  little  thing,  about  eight  years  old, 
thin,  wistful,  sad,  with  big  eyes  and  delicate 
childlike  features.  Her  hands  are  uncovered 
and  red  and  cold.  She  shakes  them  up  and 
down  or  puts  them  to  her  cheeks  after  handing 
the  matches  to  her  father.) 

OLD  JOE  (calling) 

Pearl,  you  come  in  here  to  Grandfather! 

PEARL 

No,  I  can't,  Grandfather.  (She  goes  on  help 
ing  her  father.)  I'm  helping  Father  light  the 
lamps. 

18 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD  JOE  (shaking  his  head) 

Helping  Father  light  the  lamps.  Helping  Fa 
ther  light  the  lamps.  Oh  dear !  Oh  dear !  It's 
cold  out  here — cold,  cold,  cold. 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (kindly) 
Better  go  in. 

OLD   JOE 

Stephen,  there's  that  muffler  I  wanted  to  ask 
you  did  you  think  the  little  thing  would  like  it. 
(He  points  to  the  window.) 

HARDING  (avariciously) 

Come  in!  Come  in.  (To  Stephen  Short.) 
You  come ! 

(Old  Joe,  Stephen  Short,  and  Harding  go  into 
shop.) 

PEARL  (looking  anxiously  into  the  box  of  matches) 
Father,  our  matches  are  'most  gone ! 

(As  the  lamp  flames  out  pale  yellow  in  the  eve 
ning  sunlight,  the  Sun  Chaser  clambers  down 
from  the  lamp-post,  laughing  foolishly.) 

SUN   CHASER 

Light  lamps  by  the  sun  then — going  after  it — 
hold  lamp  like  thish,  Pearl — (holding  up  imagi 
nary  lamp)  to  the  sun  an' — (laughing  wildly) 
lamp  is  lighted!  (He  hurries  on  to  next  lamp 
post,  muttering.)  Lamp  lighted — no  matches 
— good  for — can't  hold  a  candle  to  the  sun  1 

( The  Doctor,  who  has  turned  first  uncertainly 
towards  the  store  door  as  if  he,  too,  wanted  to 
escape  from  the  spectacle  of  Pearl's  misery,  and 

19 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


then  away  from  it,  now  comes  down  the  steps, 
his  hand  in  his  pocket,  and  calls  to  Pearl.) 

DOCTOR 

Pearl! 

PEARL  (turning  at  the  sound  of  his  voice) 
Yes,  sir. 

DOCTOR    (hastily   bringing   his    hand   out   of  his 
pocket) 

Take  that,  Pearl!  Take  it,  child.  Tell  your 
mother  Mrs.  Brown  wants  to  see  her.  Of 
course,  for  this  is  the  night  she  always  brings 
the  washing.  Christmas  coming!  Buy  what 
you  need,  child!  (He  thrusts  the  money  into 
her  hand.) 

PEARL  (taking  the  money  and  looking  up  into  his 
face) 
Oh,  sir! 

( The  Doctor  hurries  across  the  street,  into  his 
own  yard,  and  through  his  own  door.) 

SUN  CHASER  (clinging  to  the  second  lamp-post) 

What's  thish?    Thish  a  lamp? 
PEARL   (putting  the  money  into  her  pocket  and 

hurrying  to  him,  gives  him  a  match) 

Father,  I'm  coming.     This  is  the  last  match. 
SUN  CHASER  (takes  the  match  and  clings  crookedly 

to   the  post  while  his  hand  wavers  with  the 

match.) 

Thash  it!     Lamp's  lighted.     Always  did  have 

luck! 

(Another  pale  yellow  flame  burns  in  the  eve 
ning  sunlight.  He  drops  to  earth  and  starts 

°*->  20 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

Father,  this  is  the  last  of  the  lamps.  It's  'most 
as  far  as  I  can  go  with  you,  for  Mother  doesn't 
know. 

SUN  CHASER  (looking  at  her  curiously  and  mum 
bling  and  shaking) 
Yes,  yes,  very  far,  very  far ! 

PEARL 

Father,  what  makes  you  shake  that  way  now? 

Father,  can't  you  stop  here  for  a  minute  before 

you  chase  the  sun? 
SUN  CHASER 

I'm  eager  to  get  on — to  get  on — to  get  on ! 
PEARL  (pointing  to  the  sun) 

But  the  sun's  right  up  there,  Father. 
SUN  CHASER  (starting  on  while  Pearl  tries  to  hold 

him  back) 

Going  after  it — going  after  it — sun  travels  very 

fash — nobody  knows  how  fash — fasher  than 

I  can  get  the  lamps  lighted — a  hot  race — all 

day — all  night — forever !    Going  after  it,  Pearl 

— that's  your  name,  Pearl? 
PEARL  (looking  up  at  him  wonderingly) 

Yes,  Father.     Does  your  foot  pain  you  very 

much? 
SUN  CHASER  (mumbling) 

Bad  pain. 

PEARL 

Then,  Father,  what  does  make  you  go  after 
the  sun? 

SUN  CHASER  (looking  suspiciously  at  Pearl,  who 
is  still  clinging  to  his  hand,  and  stuttering) 
I — I — am  hungry! 

21 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(Pearl  is  embarrassed.  She  flushes,  and  grinds 
the  toe  of  her  right  shoe  around  hi  the  dirt  of 
the  road.) 

PEARL 

Oh,  Father,  hungry ! 
SUX  CHASER   (staring  at  the  shoe  and  pointing 

to  It) 

Give  it  to  me,  Pearl ! 
PEARL  (puzzled) 

My  shoe,  Father? 
SUX  CHASER  (still  pointing) 

No,  no,  that — shines  like  a  coin — looks  like  a 

coin — 

PEARL 

The  brass  tip  on  my  shoe?     No,  no,  Father, 
don't  be  silly ! 
sux  CHASER 

Not  silly — I'm  chasing  the  sun  and — I'm  hun 
gry. 

PEARL  (slipping  one  hand  into  her  pocket  and 
drawing  out  a  coin  which  she  holds  up  to  him) 
Father.  I  guess  you  won't  be  hungry  any  more, 
will  you? 

SUX  CHASER  (snatching  the  coin  greedily) 

I  must  be  going — going — going — to  catch  the 
sun! 

(Pearl  watches  him  lurch  wildly  forward, 
elippity,  cUpplty-clop,  after  the  sun,  his  long 
tawny  hair  blowing  out  In  the  wind,  his  wild 
laughter  echoing  and  reechoing  from  the 
mountains  towards  which  he  flees.  She  hears 
him  calling,  calling,  calling:  "The  Sun!  The 
22 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


Sun!  Going  after  the  Sun!"  And  she  watches 
him  until  she  can  no  longer  see  the  burnished 
light  on  her  father's  hair  or  the  distortion  of 
the  fleeing  body. 

The  sound  of  other  voices  singing  is  heard. 

Two  French  Canadians  come  gaily  singing  into 
town  by  the  west  road,  their  snowshoes  slung 
over  their  shoulders,  their  empty  packs  on  their 
backs. 

Harding,  at  the  sound  of  their  voices,  comes 
out  onto  the  store  porch,  rubbing  his  hands, 
smiling.) 

HARDING 

They're  coming. 

THE  KANUCKS   (sing) 

"Pelang!    Pelang!    Mon  cher  garcon, 

I  t'ink  of  you — t'ink  of  you  night  and  day — 
Don't  mak'  no  difference,  seems  to  me 
De  long,  long  tarn  you're  gone  away. 

"De  snow  is  deep  on  de  Grande  Montagne — 

Lak  tender  de  rapide  roar  below — 
De  sam'  kin'  night,  ma  boy  get  los' 

On  beeg,  beeg  storm  forty  year  ago." 

( They  stack  their  snowshoes  on  the  store 
porch.) 

HARDING  (pointing  to  the  snowshoes) 

Stack  'em  out  here !    Think  a  storm  is  coming? 

FIRST   KANUCK 

Oui,  monsieur,  beeg  storm,  I  t'ink.  She  run  on 
us  lak  le  Chasseur  du  Soliel. 

23 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

Eh?    Oh,  you  saw  the  Sun  Chaser  running? 

SECOND   KANUCK 

Oui,  he  run !  Snow  come  sweesh  on  de  win 
dow  pane  tonight. 

FIRST  KANUCK 

Oui,  monsieur,  expec'  some  beeg  storm. 

( They  all  go  into  store.  Suddenly  the  school  bell 
on  the  schoolhouse  gate  begins  to  ring.  Terri 
fied,  Pearl,  who  has  been  watching  the  Kanucks, 
starts,  and  then  flees  down  the  village  street. 
The  children  pour  out  from  the  school  just  in 
time  to  catch  sight  of  Pearl  running  away.  They 
run  after  her,  shouting.  In  their  hands  they 
have  Christmas  things  they  have  made:  one  a 
little  Christmas  tree  all  trimmed,  another  a 
painted  Santa  Claus.) 

MINNIE 

Pearl's  a  'f raid  cat ! 

SUE 

Where's  the  Sun  Chaser? 
TOMMY  (waving  his  Santa  Claus) 
Where's  old  clippity-clop  ? 

(They  shout  derisively  at  Pearl.} 

OLD  JOE  (comes  out,  a  newly  purchased  gay 
muffler  in  his  hand,  and  looks  eastward  at 
Pearl  running  away,  the  children  chasing  her. 
Speaking  to  himself.) 

My  God,  they're  chasing  her !  (Shouts  in  weak 
old  voice.)  Hi,  there,  hi!  You  brats! 

(Stephen  Short  comes  out.) 
24 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN  SHORT  (puts  out  his  arm  and  holds  back 
Old  Joe) 
Come,  let  them  settle  their  own  little  fusses! 

OLD   JOE 

She's  as  afraid  of  them  children  as  if  they  was 
hyenas. 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (matter-of-fact  voice) 
Oh,  come,  Joe ! 

OLD   JOE 

Nobody's  ever  tried  to  do  him  a  mite  of  good. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

And  nobody's  ever  done  him  harm  either. 

OLD  JOE  (hotly  and  shaking) 

Except  letting  him  slide  right  straight  to  hell, 
dragging  my  daughter  and  grandchild  with  him. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Up  to  a  certain  point,  if  Ambrose  Clark  wants 
to  go — 

OLD   JOE 

He  don't  want  to  go  to  hell.     He  can't  help  it. 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (puzzled) 

Heh?     Well,  up  to  a  certain  point,  it's  Am 
brose's  affair  and  nobody  else's! 

OLD  JOE 

Might  a  foolish  old  man  ask  where's  that  point 
then? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

I'm  thinking  it's  about  reached. 

OLD  JOE  (vindictively) 

I'd  like  to  get  him  where  I  could  drop  a  rock 
on  him ! 

25 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN  SHORT 

See  here,  now,  don't  you  get  to  thinking 
thoughts  like  that  or  you  11  get  into  trouble. 

OLD   JOE 

Ain't  that  what  I'm  in  now,  too  old  to  be  any 
good  and  watching  my  daughter  and  her  baby 
being  dragged  through  hell? 
STEPHEN  SHORT 

Well,  I  must  be  going  now ! 

(He  goes  eastward  down  the  village  street  and 
Old  Joe  reenters  store,  the  muffler  in  his  hand. 
The  Kanucks  come  out  of  the  store,  laughing, 
chattering,  their  packs,  their  packets  filed  to 
bursting,  bottles  sticking  out  everywhere.  Over 
his  shoulder  one  of  them  carries  a  mallet  with 
which  he  makes  playful  passes  at  tine  other.  He 
even  lifts  it  between  two  hands  and  pretends  to 
knock  the  other  on  the  neck.  They  are  half- 
drunk,  but  still  playful  and  good-natured. 
Harding  comes  to  the  door  just  as  the  First  Ka- 
nuck  is  swinging  the  mallet  at  the  Second.) 

HARDING 

Hi,  there,  you  fellows,  quit  fooling  with  that 
mallet  or  some  one  will  get  hurt ! 
FIRST  KANUCK  (quickly  and  amiably) 
Oui,  monsieur,  we  have  no  troub'  at  all ! 

SECOND  KANUCK 

We  heet  de  pa'tridge  in  de  swamp ! 

FIRST  KANUCK 

We  mak  de  rabbit  jomp! 
HARDING  (looking  at  the  sky) 

Well,  you  jump  or  you'll  get  snowed  in  here! 
26 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


FIRST  KANUCK 

Oui,  monsieur,  we  good  feller,  we  go! 

SECOND  KANUCK 

Adieu,  monsieur. 

(  They  pick  up  their  snowshoes  and  travel  west 
ward,  singing:) 

"An'  I  t'ink  I  hear  de  leetle  bird  say, 

'Wait  till  de  snow  is  geev  up  its  dead, 
Wait  till  I  go,  an'  de  robin  come, 

An'  den  you  will  fin'  bees  cole,  cole  bed.'  ' 

(  The  children  come  rushing  back,  laughing  with 
excitement.  Old  Joe  shakes  his  stick  angrily 
at  the  children,  who  stick  their  tongues  out  at 
him.  He  goes  in.) 

SUE 

Oh,  I  thought  the  Sun  Chaser'd  catch  me ! 
MINNIE   (looking  at  the  lamps) 

No,  you  silly,  he's  lighted  the  lamps  and  gone 

away. 

(Several  of  them  together  imitate  his  lame  step, 
the  others  laughing  merrily.) 

TOMMY 

My,  ain't  I  glad  I  don't  have  a  Dad  walks  like 
that! 

SUE 

I  ain't  afraid ! 

TOMMY 

Ain't  you?    Then  what'd  you  run  for? 

SUE 

'Cause  he  might  kill  me.  Mother  said  he 
might. 

27 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


ALL  CHILDREN  (in  chorus,  giggling  and  squealing) 
Has  he  killed  anyone? 

SUE 

No,  but  he'll  be  in  the  lockup  before  long !  See 
if  he  ain't. 

TOMMY 

Pooh!    Who  said  so?    Your  ma? 

(A  little  head  has  been  visible  at  the  Doctor's 
window.  Then  the  front  door  opens  and  Rose 
conies  down  the  walk  hesitatingly.) 

SUE  (wriggling) 

Anyway,  Pearl's  afraid  to  come  to  school  any 

more,  'cause  her  father  is  a  bad,  bad  man. 
MINNIE  (as  they  see  Rose) 

Look  out,  Rose,  or  the  Sun  Chaser'll  catch  you ! 
ROSE  (gravely) 

I  saw  him  go  by.    And  he  isn't  a  bad  man. 
CHILDREN    (imitating  his  lame  step  wildly  and 

laughing  again) 

Like  this ! 

ROSE 

The  Sun  Chaser's  looking  for  happiness. 
(The  children  all  laugh.) 

TOMMY 

He's  drunk,  that's  what  he  is ! 

MINNIE 

And  he's  crazy,  too ! 

ROSE 

It  isn't  nice  to  laugh  at  the  Sun  Chaser. 
TOMMY  (defiantly) 
Why? 

28 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


ROSE 

'Cause  he  needs  help. 

SUE 

Pooh!  My  mother  said  what  the  Sun  Chaser 
needed  wasn't  help,  but  it  was  hanging!  (Sue 
flounces  airily  off  up  onto  the  store  porch.)  Oh, 
Minnie,  come  see  this  Santy  Claus !  (She  points 
to  the  advertisement.) 

MINNIE  (pressing  her  nose  against  the  window) 
Can  you  see  the  Christmas  tree? 

SUE 

Nope.     Can  you? 

MINNIE 

No,  but  Mrs.  Harding  told  my  mother  there 
was  one  and  she  trimmed  it! 

TOMMY 

There  ain't  any  Christmas  tree  in  there. 

MINNIE 

There  is,  too!  And  Mrs.  Harding  told  mom 
she'd  hung  a  Christ-child  right  on  the  very  tip 
of  it! 

(As  the  children  rush  up  onto  the  store 
porch,  shouting  and  giggling,  a  dark  figure  can 
be  seen  painfully  scaling  the  rocks  behind  the 
store.  Rose  catches  sight  of  it.) 

ROSE  (pointing  to  the  rocks) 
See  what's  up  there ! 

( The  children  do  not  hear  her.   She  then  goes 
towards  the  house  and  brings  out  her  mother.) 
29 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MINNIE  (glueing  her  nose  to  the  window  and 
wriggling  with  delight) 

Ain't  it  grand,  Sue!  And  those  skates!  I'd 
take  a  pair  of  those  skates.  Tommy,  come  here ! 

TOMMY 

Gee,  couldn't  I  just  skate  on  them!     (Looking 

at  the  advertisement  Santa  Claus.)   Gee,  it  ain't 

in  the  same  class  as  mine ! 
ROSE  (pointing  upwards) 

Mother,  what's  that?    A  big  bird? 

MRS.  BROWN  (shading  her  eyes) 

It  looks  like  a  man!  See  how  he  clings  with 
his  hands ! 

ROSE 

Isn't  it  the  Sun  Chaser  climbing  after  the  sun? 

MRS.  BROWN  (startled) 

I  do  believe  it  is !     He'll  be  killed,  that's  sure ! 

(An  audible  cry  rings  out  now.  The  children 
hear  the  cry  and  with  shouts  of  "The  Sun 
Chaser!  The  Sun  Chaser's  coming!"  they  race 
wildly  down  the  street  and  to  the  safety  of  their 
own  homes.) 

SUN  CHASER  (clinging  to  the  rock  and  gazing  up 
ward  at  the  sun,  which  soars  at  the  very  peak 
of  the  rocks.  Every  word  from  the  nearby  cliff 
is  audible.) 

The  sun — up  there!     The  sun — up  there! 
(He  clings  with  one  hand  and  points  upward.) 

MRS.  BROWN 

He's  watching  the  sun  disappear.  See  how  still 
he  hangs! 

30 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


ROSE 

The  sun  is  swimming  away,  Mummy. 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  it's  going! 

ROSE 

Yes,  part  gone,  almost  all  gone. 
MRS.  BROWN  (gazing  upward,  horror-stricken) 
How'll  he  ever  get  down  without  killing  him 
self! 

( The  Doctor  comes  out.) 
DOCTOR 

What's  this?     (He  gazes  upward.) 

MRS.  BROWN 

Oh,  Simon ! 

DOCTOR 

He  has  nine  lives !    Don't  worry ! 

( The  sun  is  swimming  slowly,  slowly  out  of 
sight.  Every  instant  it  becomes  darker,  and 
the  Sun  Chaser  climbs  higher.) 

OLD  JOE  (coming  out) 

Eh,  eh,  what's  that  sound?    It  came  right  in  at 

the  back  of  the  store ! 
DOCTOR  (points  upward) 

There  'tis. 

OLD  JOE 

Oh  God,  climbing  those  rocks  to  catch  the  sun ! 
(Whispering.)  If  he'd  only  fall,  that  would 
settle  it ! 

SUN  CHASER  (with  a  loud,  frenzied  cry,  clamber 
ing  upwards  still  more  rapidly) 
The  sun — losing  the   sun!      (He  climbs  still 
higher  and  vanishes  from  sight.     There  is  an 

31 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


instant  of  silence  and  then  a  loud  cry  which 
echoes  and  reechoes.)  The  sun  is  gone!  The 
sun  is  gone!  The  sun  is  gone! 

(With  the  last  cry  the  Sun  Chaser  is  seen  hurt 
ling  and  tumbling  down  the  rocks.  Then  there 
is  silence.) 

OLD  JOE 

Thank  God !     (He  nods  his  head  up  and  down, 

up  and  down.)    He's  dead  at  last! 
MRS.  BROWN   (in  a  frightened  whisper) 

He  must  be  dead ! 
DOCTOR  (running  out  of  the  yard) 

I'll  go  by  the  road  to  the  sheep  path.     (Old  Joe 

follows  him.) 
ROSE  (full  of  wonder) 

That  cry,  Mummy,  was  like  a  wing  flapping! 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes. 

(Harding  comes  out  on  the  store  porch,  fol 
lowed  by  his  wife.) 

ROSE 

Mummy,  was  it  drinking  made  the  Sun  Chaser 
think  he  could  be  a  bird? 
MRS.  BROWN 

Yes. 

ROSE 

But,  Mummy,  birds  don't  drink. 

MRS.  BROWN 

No. 

ROSE 

And  was  it  drinking  made  him  fall,  too  ? 
32 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MRS.  BROWN 

Yes. 

ROSE  (puzzled) 

I  wonder  why  he  did  it,  then? 

MRS.  BROWN 

I  can't  tell  you,  dear. 

(Harding  comes  across  the  street  and  looks  up 
at  the  rocks.  It  is  growing  darker  every  min 
ute.) 

HARDING 

Humph!    I  guess  he's  done  for! 

MRS.  BROWN 

I  wonder  how  long  it  will — 
ROSE  (excitedly) 

No,  Mummy,  he's  comin',  he's  cominM 

(On  the  road  is  heard  the  beat  of  the  Sun 
Chaser's  lame  step  coming  nearer  and  nearer 
and  growing  louder  and  louder.) 

MRS.  BROWN 

Coming? 

ROSE 

Hear!     Clip-clop!    Clippity-clop !     (The  child 
holds  up  her  little  finger.) 
HARDING 

Sure,  he  is!  .  .  .  How  he  thunders  along! 
It's  a  terrible  hardship  on  leather  shoes! 

ROSE 

Yes,  but,  Mr.  Harding,  it's  wooden-shod  makes 
most  of  the  noise. 

HARDING 

Humph ! 

33 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(The  beat  of  the  running  lame  step  is  very 
close.) 

ROSE 

I  can  see  him  now !    See ! 

HARDING 

He  runs  like  something  mad — looks  like  a  mad 
dog — acts  like  a  mad  dog ! 

( They  all  shrink  back  and  slip  inside  the  Doc 
tor's  hedge. 

MRS.  BROWN 

How  his  copper  hair  shines! 

( The  Sun  Chaser  pauses  in  front  of  the  school- 
house,  gazing  about  puzzled.) 

SUN  CHASER  (standing  still  and  uttering  a  single 

word) 

Pearl!      (He  goes  over  to  the  lamp-post  and 

looks  up  at  the  light.     His  face  is  revealed 

scratched,  cut,  and  streaked  with  blood.)  Pearl, 

you  up  there?     (He  shakes  his  head.)      No 

Pearl!     (He  runs  on.) 
ROSE 

See,  Mummy,  he's  looking  in  at  that  window 

down  there ! 
MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  it  must  be  the  light  of  the  lamp  attracts 

him.    He's  looking  for  something. 
ROSE 

Daddy  said  it  was  happiness.    Is  it? 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes. 

34 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

Humph !  He's  drunk  all  the  time — that's  what 
he  is !  There  ain't  a  day  he  ain't  up  to  my  store 
buying  licker,  and  it's  made  him  crazy.  (He 
starts  to  cross  the  street.) 

ROSE 

Hear  him,  Mummy!  Clip-clop!  Clip-clop! 
See,  he  is  running  awful  past  the  undertaker's 
now !  ( There  is  the  sound  of  a  cry  from  the 
Sun  Chaser.)  Hear  him  cry!  I  guess  he's 
afraid! 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes,  I  guess  so. 

ROSE 

He  must  have  wings  for  wooden-shod  tonight 
and  double  wings  for  leather-shod. 

MRS.  BROWN 

Yes.    I  wonder  why  your  father  doesn't  come? 

HARDING 

Well,  good-night,  ma'am!  I  hope  you  have  a 
Merry  Christmas! 

MRS.  BROWN 

Good-night,  Mr.  Harding,  and  you  and  Mrs. 

Harding  a  prosperous  New  Year. 

ROSE  (looking  after  Harding) 

Mother,  if  the  drink  the  Sun  Chaser  takes  makes 
him  crazy,  why  does  Mr.  Harding  sell  it  to  him  ? 

MRS.  BROWN 

Hush !    I  can't  tell  you  any  reason  except  that 
Mr.  Harding  makes  money  that  way. 
ROSE 

There's  Daddy  coming. 
35 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


( The  Doctor  enters  very  much  out  of  breath 
from  running.) 

DOCTOR  (panting) 

Just  as  we  were  nearing  the  face  of  the  rocks, 

he  was  picking  himself  up. 
OLD  JOE  (hobbling  in,  wiping  of  his  forehead  and 

panting) 

We  shouted  after  him,  but  it  wasn't  any  use. 

He  ain't  hurt  very  much.    (He  shakes  his  head 

mournfully.) 
DOCTOR 

He  picked  himself  up  and  started  across  that 
stony  field  like  mad.  We  couldn't  catch  him. 

OLD  JOE 

We  lost  him  and  struck  for  the  road  again. 
Even  if  he  ain't  killed  himself,  he'll  end  by  kill 
ing  somebody  else,  if  somebody  don't  kill  him ! 
(Shaking  his  head  ominously.)  If  somebody 
don't  kill  him!  O  God,  if  he  was  only  dead! 

ROSE 

Daddy,  if  the  sun  went  that  way  (pointing  to 
the  west)  why  did  the  Sun  Chaser  come  back 
again? 

DOCTOR  (stooping  and  patting  Rose) 
He  had  to  come  back,  my  darling. 

ROSE 

Must  he  always  ? 

DOCTOR 

Always ! 

CURTAIN 


ACT  II. 

THE  SUN  CHASER'S  KITCHEN. 

It  is  a  big  kitchen,  shabby,  warm,  dimly  lighted 
by  one  kerosene  lamp.  On  the  worn,  well- 
scrubbed  board  floor  are  a  few  rag  carpet  rugs. 
Between  the  north  and  west  windows  is  a  round 
dining-room  table  covered  by  a  red  cloth:  about 
it  are  three  chairs.  On  the  table  is  a  clumsy 
pressed-glass  tumbler  filed  with  knives,  forks, 
and  spoons.  There  are  also  a  pile  of  three 
cups  and  saucers,  three  plates  and  big  glass  salt 
and  pepper  shakers.  Beyond  the  table,  between 
the  two  north  windows,  is  a  big,  old-fashioned 
door.  Just  by  the  door,  to  the  left,  is  a  child's 
express  wagon,  a  clothes-basket  inside  it.  In 
side  the  door  to  the  right  is  an  old-fashioned, 
high-top  sewing  machine.  To  the  east,  against 
the  wall  of  the  kitchen,  is  the  kitchen  stove,  on 
it  a  boiling  tea-kettle,  and  to  the  south  of  the 
stove  is  a  small  door  opening  into  a  bedroom. 
Between  the  northwest  window  and  the  stove 
stands  a  clotheshorse.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
stove  out  towards  the  centre  of  the  room  is  a  big 
ironing  board,  a  lighted  lamp  on  one  end  of  it, 
a  flatiron  and  holder  on  the  other.  On  the 
walls  are  two  large  lithograph  pictures;  one  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  which  hangs  by  the  dining- 
room  table,  and  a  spectacular  lithograph 
panel  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  tacked  between 
the  door  and  the  northeast  window.  Beside  the 
door,  on  a  nail,  hangs  a  lantern.  Beyond  the 
37 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


west  window  and  dining  table  is  a  big  ugly 
kitchen  clock  whose  loud,  hard  tick  is  seldom 
drowned  even  by  voices.  Beneath  it  is  a  shelf 
on  which  are  a  few  other  odds  and  ends,  among 
them  a  small  jar  of  ointmentt  a  candlestick,  etc. 
The  shades  are  not  drawn. 

Sybil  Clark  is  ironing  rapidly,  as  if  she 
were  behind  in  her  work  and  every  moment 
counted.  She  is  a  young  woman  still,  of  medium 
height,  well- featured,  carefully  but  poorly 
dressed. 

Pearl  stands  at  the  end  of  the  ironing  board 
watching  her  mother. 

It  is  about  six  o'clock  on  Christmas  Eve. 
PEARL 

Mother,  is  sun-chasing  very  hard  work? 
SYBIL  CLARK  (her  iron  hissing  over  some  damp 
canton  flannel) 

It  depends  on  what  you  mean  by  that.  (Hold 
ing  the  iron  in  mid-air. )  How  still  it  is !  Not  a 
breath  of  air  stirring!  It's  getting  ready  to 
storm. 

PEARL 

Mother,  what's  sun-chasing  mean,  anyhow? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Just  slang.  (Holding  up  the  piece  she  has  been 
ironing.)  My,  those  are  nice  night  clothes 
little  Rose  has,  so  warm  and  pretty!  Wish  I 
could  afford  the  goods  to  make  two  for  you. 

PEARL 

If  Grandfather  was  rich,  would  he  get  'em  for 
me? 

38 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  and  you'd  never  be  cold  nights  then.  I 
could  run  them  up  in  no  time  on  the  machine. 
(She  puts  the  nightgown  on  the  clothe shorse.) 

PEARL 

And  all  that  pretty  blue  cross-stitching,  too, 
Mother? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

No,  I  guess  not  that.  'Twould  take  too  much 
time.  (She  takes  a  fresh  flatiron  from  the 
stove,  testing  it  with  a  moistened  forefinger.  It 
makes  a  hissing  noise.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  don't  that  sound  just  like  an  angry 
cat? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (beginning  on  a  new  garment') 
Yes,  it  does!     It's  the  wet  on  the  hot  iron. 
When  I  go  out  with  Mrs.  Brown's  wash — 

PEARL 

Mother,  can  I  go? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

With  a  storm  coming  up?     No,  certainly  not! 

PEARL 

But,  Mother,  there's  a  Christmas  tree  at 
Harding's  store. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  I'd  counted  on  your  seeing  that !  .  .  . 
Well,  I  can  leave  you  a  good  hot  fire  to  keep 
you  warm. 

{A  heavy  gust  of  wind  strikes  the  house.) 
39 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

Just  listen  to  that  wind  strike  the  house, 
Mother !  Mother,  if  a  storm  should  come  up, 
wouldn't  it  make  Father  feel  worse? 

SYRIL  CLARK  (laconically) 

Might  help  to  keep  him  home  for  a  while ! 

PEARL  (wistfully) 

I  could  take  much  better  care  of  Father  if  he 
stayed  home. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes.  But  it  wouldn't  hurt  if  things  were  the 
other  way  around  and  your  father — 

PEARL 

Mother,  don't!  Father's  foot  hurts  him  and 
he  never,  never  catches  the  sun. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (not  paying  much  attention,  glances 
at  the  child  and  down  the  child's  thin  legs  to  the 
shoes  from  which  parts  of  the  vamp  and  sole 
are  gone.  Not  for  an  instant  does  she  cease 
her  ironing.) 

You  need  a  pair  of  shoes  more  than  anything 
else.  One  of  those  soles  is  almost  gone,  and 
you've  stubbed  even  the  brass  tip  off  the  other. 

PEARL  (anxiously) 

Mother,  I  didn't  mean  to ! 

SYBIL  CLARK  (kissing  her  shyly  on  the  hair) 
No,  darling,  it's  not  your  fault.    They're  old. 

(Pearl  comes  up  closer  to  her  mother)  one  hand 
fumbling  in  her  little  pocket.) 

PEARL  (her  face  lighting  up  joyously) 
Mother,  it's  here. 

40 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK  (without  looking) 
What's  here? 

PEARL 

The  money  to  buy  the  shoes  with.  See,  Mother ! 
(She  fakes  a  piece  of  money  out  of  her  pocket 
and  holds  it  up  under  the  lamp.)  He  gave  me 
two  of  these. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Grandfather? 
PEARL 

No,  the  Doctor. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

It  would  take  more  than  two  quarters  these  days 
with  such  ruination  high  prices  to  buy  a  pair  of 
shoes.    But,  where's  the  other? 
PEARL  (looking  frightened) 

You  mean  the  other  quarter,  Mother? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  tell  me !  ( There  is  an  instant's  silence  and 
then  she  speaks  bitterly.)  No,  you  needn't. 
YouVe  given  it  to  your  father.  .  .  .  Well, 
you  leave  this  one  here  by  the  lamp.  I  can  make 
good  use  of  it  for  you. 

PEARL  (setting  it  down  by  the  lamp  on  the  ironing 
board)  But,  Mother,  his  foot  hurt  so — he  said 
it  did — and  he  said  he  hadn't  had  any  success 
in  sun-chasing — 

SYBIL  CLARK  (ironing  more  and  more  rapidly) 
There,  there,  dear,  that'll  do!     I  know  every 
one  of  those  explanations  backwards  and  for 
wards  by  this  time.     Anyway,  don't  give  him 
that! 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

But,  Mother, — 

SYBIL  CLARK 

You  must  have  a  pair  of  mittens.  Christmas 
Eve  is  here  and  for  all  I  know  a  blizzard  is,  too. 

PEARL 

Is  that  what  makes  it  so  cold  ? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  hear  the  way  that  wind  draws  and  moans ! 
It'll  be  whipping  a  blanket  of  snow  around 
everything  in  no  time. 

PEARL 

Will  it  be  hard  going  on  the  road  for  you  to 
night,  Mother? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (thumping  the  iron) 
Very  likely. 

(Pearl  crowds  up  closer  to  her  mother's  right 
side.  She  reaches  up,  clasping  her  left  arm 
about  her  mother's  waist,  and  sighs  as  she  turns 
the  quarter  under  the  lamplight.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  it  feels  good  to  be  close  to  you.  Does 
it  feel  good  to  you  ? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (never  ceasing  her  ironing) 
Yes,  dear. 

PEARL 

I  love  you,  Mother.    And  I  always  will. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (leans  sidewise  from  her  ironing  and 
kisses  the  child's  hair) 
You  blessing ! 

42 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

I  never  expect  to  get  out  of  loving  you  and  Fa 
ther — and  Grandfather,  too. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (tenderly) 
My  baby ! 

PEARL 

Mother,  couldn't  Grandfather  help  Father? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Not  much — any  more.  He's  done  all  he  could 
and  given  all  he  could. 

PEARL 

What  makes  Grandfather  so  old  and  helpless 
now? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

I  don't  know  as  I  can  tell  you.  He  was  middle- 
aged  before  he  was  married,  and  I  was  born, 
and  then — it's  been  hard  for  him  the  way  things 
have  turned  out. 

PEARL 

Mother,  there's  so  much  that's  hard  to  under 
stand,  isn't  there? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Mother's  love  is  plain  enough.  (She  thumps 
the  ironing  board.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  I  like  the  way  your  arm  jerks.  It 
makes  you  feel  nearer.  (She  is  turning  the 
quarter  under  the  lamplight.)  Does  God  feel 
near? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Why  do  you  ask? 

43 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL  (reading  slowly) 

Mother,  this  quarter  says  "In  God  We  Trust." 
Do  we? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  dear,  I  hope  so. 

PEARL  (turning  the  quarter  around  again) 
Do  we  trust  in  man,  Mother? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (hesitates) 

Well,  not  so  much.  Men  mean  well,  but  living 
is  a  terribly  puzzling  business. 

PEARL  (crowding  closer  to  her  Mother) 
Is  that  why  Mother's  love  is  plain? 

SYBIL  CLARK   (noncommittally) 

Perhaps.  (Suddenly  she  puts  her  iron  down 
and  flings  her  arms  about  Pearl.)  Oh,  my 
baby,  my  baby !  Mother  couldn't  live  without 
you !  ( Then,  as  if  a  little  ashamed  of  showing 
emotion,  she  snatches  up  her  iron  again.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  if  it  weren't  for  Father's  feeling  he 
must  chase  the  sun,  wouldn't  we  be  just  the 
happiest  family  in  the  whole  world  ? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

That's  as  might  be,  child,  but  perhaps  so. 

PEARL  (listening) 

Mother,  what's  that  step  ? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (listens) 

I  don't  hear  any !  (She  goes  toward  the  clothes- 
horse  and  hangs  the  nightgown  on  it.) 

PEARL  (timidly) 

Mother,  can  I  pull  down  the  shades? 
44 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK 

No,  leave  them  up.     It  will  help  your  father 
to  find  his  way  home. 
PEARL  (brightens  a  little) 

Yes,  the  light  will  help  Father. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Hear  the  steady  roar  of  that  wind  coming  up 

against  the  house  now. 
PEARL  (more  and  more  excited  every  instant) 

Mother,  what's  that?    Listen!     It  sounds  just 

like  the  rain  on  our  moss-covered  roof  in  spring. 

But  it  isn't  spring,  is  it? 
SYBIL  CLARK 

No,  perhaps  it's  the  snow. 

PEARL 

Listen!    Now,  it's  like  a  step! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Nonsense !  It's  the  clock  ticking.  Well,  these 
clothes  are  all  ready  to  be  packed.  (Feeling 
the  other  clothes.)  They're  a  little  damp  yet. 
But  Mrs.  Brown  will  understand.  (She  begins 
to  pack  them.) 
PEARL  (excitedly) 

Mother,  what  was  that  passed  the  window? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Nothing,  I  guess.     I  heard  nothing.     Maybe 

Grandfather  coming  up  to  see  how  we're  getting 

on. 
PEARL  (with  conviction) 

It  wasn't  Grandfather,  Mother.    But,  Mother, 

I  saw  something.    It  was — 
SYBIL  CLARK  (suspiciously) 

What  was  it? 

45 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

It  was  like  a  light. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (relieved) 

Maybe  it  was  the  lamplight  gleaming  on  the 
bottom  of  that  waxed  iron  I  left  turned  over. 

PEARL 

No,  Mother,  I  saw  something. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Did  you?    Well,  the  nights  are  growing  cold 
now, — maybe  a  falling  star.    Is  it  snowing? 
PEARL 

Mother,  there's  something  out  there ! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Nonsense!  It's  just  the  wind  and  maybe  the 
snow.  Step  to  the  door  and  see! 

(Pearl  opens  the  door  cautiously  only  a  crack 
and  thrusts  her  little  arm  out.  The  wind 
rushes  through  the  crack.  She  brings  her  arm 
in  covered  with  moisture.) 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Land  sakes,  close  that  door !     It's  blowing  all 
over  these  fresh  clothes. 
PEARL  (shaking) 

Yes,  Mother,  it's  snowing.  But  there's  some 
thing  besides  the  snow  out  there. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Nonsense ! 

PEARL 

I  felt  it  on  my  hand. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (going  on  with  the  packing  of  the 
clothes.  She  holds  up  a  pretty  little  blue  and 
white  sweater.)  No,  it  ain't  shrunk  any! 

46 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(Looking  at  Pearl. )  Something  like  that  would 
be  so  pretty  for  you  and  keep  you  warm  no 
matter  what  the  weather  was,  inside  or  out. 

( The  wind  moans  and  cries,  but  it  has  not  yet 
settled  into  a  steady  roar.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  how  the  wind  cries ! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  it  does  a  little.  (She  stoops  over  the  last 
piece  which  she  has  taken  from  the  clothes- 
horse.)  There,  that's  the  last. 

PEARL 

Mother,  I  hear  that  step  louder. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (not  paying  much  attention) 

Yes.  (She  sees  a  pair  of  woolen  tights  for  a 
child  still  hanging  by  the  stove.)  No,  there's 
those  woolen  tights  of  Rose's.  I'll  just  take 
the  flatiron  and  go  over  them  once.  (She 
takes  them  from  the  rack,  picks  up  the  flatiron, 
and  goes  to  the  ironing  board.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  what  was  that  touched  the  door  latch? 

(Suddenly  there  is  a  wild  rush,  the  door  is  flung 
open,  and  the  Sun  Chaser  stumbles  in,  covered 
with  snow.  Pearl  cowers  away  from  him.  Sybil 
confronts  him.  He  points  to  the  lamp  on  the 
ironing  board.) 

SUN  CHASER 

See,  sun!    Piece  of  sun,  shining,  golden,  there! 
47 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK 

Don't  you  touch  that  lamp !  (She  places  herself 
in  his  way.)  Ambrose,  you've  been  drinking 
again. 

SUN  CHASER  (pointing  to  the  money  on  the  iron 
ing  board) 
See,  see,  shines !     Coin !     Give  it  to  me ! 

SYBIL  CLARK  (threateningly) 
You  leave  that  alone ! 

( The  Sun  Chaser  makes  a  rush  for  the  lamp 
and  seizes  it.) 

SUN  CHASER 

It's  mine,  mine!  (He  swings  it,  swaying  and 
gleaming,  flaming  and  shining,  dipping  and 
flickering. ) 

SYBIL  CLARK   (terrified) 
Ambrose ! 

SUN  CHASER   (brandishing  it) 

It's  mine,  mine,  mine !  In  my  hand,  my  own ! 
Part  and  parcel  of  the  Great  One!  I  toss  it, 
catch  it,  brandish  it,  mine,  mine,  mine,  forever ! 

SYBIL  CLARK    (with  a  loud  cry) 

Ambrose,  for  God's  sake  set  the  lamp  down — 
set  it  down ! 

SUN  CHASER   (swinging  the  lamp  and  advancing 
toward  Pearl) 

Fools,  fools !  here's  the  sun !  You  didn't  know 
it!  Little  Pearl  shall  have  all  the  sun.  (He 
comes  closer  to  her.)  Never  go  out  into  the 
night  and  dark — never  chase  sun  again — here's 
sun  for — my  Pearl.  (He  touches  her  with  the 
lamp.) 

48 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL  (crying  out) 

Father,  it  burns  so!  The  lamp's  burning  me! 
Oh,  Mother! 

(He  swings  the  lamp,  streaming  smoke  and 
flame }  near  the  child  again.) 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Ambrose.       (She   gives  one    terrible    cry    and 
leaps  upon  him  tigerishly.) 
SUN  CHASER  (shouting  wildly  and  laughing) 
Scatter  it  like  this — joy  and  joy  and  joy! 

( The  lamp  crashes  to  the  floor.  The  room  be 
comes  black.  Then  are  heard  the  screams  of  a 
child,  the  dull  thud  and  thrashing  of  struggle 
upon  the  floor;  and  moans  and  silence.  There  is 
a  smell  of  lamp  soot  and  burned  hair.  The  grate 
of  the  kitchen  stove  gleams  like  an  evil  eye, 
throwing  light  across  the  prostrate  forms  on 
the  floor,  Pearl  and  Sybil  lying  close  together, 
and  revealing  the  snow  which  whirls  through 
the  open  door.  Muttering,  the  Sun  Chaser 
raises  himself  on  knee  and  leather-shod  foot, 
dragging  wooden-shod  to  a  place  beside  it.) 

SUN  CHASER  (looking  at  the  windows) 

Silver  windows!  Door  open!  Sun  gone! 
(He  moves  and  touches  one  of  the  bodies.) 
Something  soft!  Happiness,  happiness  to 
spare  for  all!  Wanted  to  scatter  joy — on  all! 
See  what  she  has  done!  Sybil  against  me! 
Damn  the  women !  All  against  us !  (  Then 
the  Sun  Chaser  begins  to  hop  around  the  pros 
trate  bodies  of  Pearl  and  Sybil  Clark:  clip- 

49 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


clop,  clippity-clop,  around  and  around  them 
horribly  until  he  has  got  away  from  them.) 
Soft,  soft,  soft!  Something  soft!  (He  fum 
bles  for  the  ironing  board.)  Where's  the  money? 
(He  brushes  his  hand  over  the  ironing  board, 
but  he  cannot  find  it.)  Nothing  there!  No 
money !  ( Whimpering  a  little. )  Sybil  took  it ! 
Damn  the  women !  They  take  it  all !  (He  puts 
his  hand  in  his  pocket.)  Here's  the  quarter 
Pearl  gave  me.  Where's  the  latch?  (He  hops 
forward.)  Yes,  door  open!  Silver  windows! 
The  Dawn !  The  Dawn !  Go  meet  sun !  (From 
the  outside  is  heard  a  wild  cry.)  The  sun!  The 
sun!  Going  after  the  sun!  (And  he  is  gone.) 

(For  a  few  seconds  all  is  silence  in  the  darkened 
room.  The  mother  and  child  lie  together, 
Pearl's  head  on  her  mother's  left  shoulder.) 

SYBIL  CLARK  (stirring) 

Oh !  Oh !  (She  moves  a  little  more,  opens  her 
eyes  and  sees  the  kitchen  stove.)  Oh!  The 
fire's  burning!  (Turns  her  head  to  the  right.) 
Ambrose!  Ambrose,  where  are  you?  He's 
gone!  (Her  hand  in  moving  touches  Pearl's 
head.)  What's  that?  Pearl!  (With  a  cry 
she  throws  her  arms  about  the  child.)  Blessed, 
blessed,  blessed  little  one !  ( The  child  does  not 
reply.  Sybil  Clark  cries  out  again)  Pearl!  (No 
answer.  She  speaks  wonderingly:  Is  this — 
or — maybe —  (She  struggles  to  her  feet.)  The 
door's  open.  (She  touches  the  broken  glass  with 
her  feet.)  The  lamp  is  broken.  I'll  light  the 
lantern.  (She  takes  it  from  the  corner  and 
5° 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


lights  it.)  It's  cold  here.  I  wonder  where  she 
is?  (She  closes  the  door.  She  moves  a  chair 
by  the  stove,  then  picks  up  Pearl  and  carries 
her  to  it.) 

PEARL  (her  head  moving  limply) 
Mother ! 

SYBIL    CLARK 

Oh,  yes,  yes,  darling!     Mother's  here! 
PEARL  (bewildered) 
Are  you  here? 

SYBIL    CLARK 

Yes,  I'm  here,  dear.  We're  together.  We're 
safe,  darling.  That's  all  can  matter  any  more! 
(She  embraces  her  passionately.) 

PEARL 

Oh,  I  was — I  was  a  little  frightened,  Mother. 

It  hurt  so.     (She  puts  her  hand  up  to  her  fore- 

head  where  there  is  a  long,  red  scar.) 
SYBIL  CLARK  (looking  at  Pearl's  forehead) 

It's  a   burn!      I'll  put   some   ointment  on   it. 

(She  goes  to  the  shelf  under  the  clock  and  gets 

the  ointment.) 
PEARL 

Mother,  did  Father  mean  to  hurt  me? 
SYBIL  CLARK  (grudgingly) 

No. 

PEARL 

Father's  sun-chasing  must  have  hurt  him  terrible 
then.     Did  it? 
SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  I  guess  so!  Or  the  quarter  you  let  him 
have  did  him  no  good. 

51 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


PEARL 

He  said  he  was  hungry. 

SYBIL   CLARK 

There's  some  hungers  a  child  can't  understand. 

(She    looks    around.)       Where's    that    other 

quarter? 
PEARL 

I  don't  know,  Mother.    You  put  it  by  the  lamp 

on  the  ironing  board. 
SYBIL  CLARK  (looking) 

Well,  I  thought  as  much  I 

PEARL 

Thought  what? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

It  isn't  here. 

PEARL 

Where  is  it? 

SYBIL    CLARK 

That's  the  question. 

PEARL  (eagerly) 

If  Father  has  the  quarter,  then  he  isn't  hungry. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (grimly  looking  at  the  clock} 

No,  it's  not  likely ! — Well,  I  must  just  be  getting 
along.  Mrs.  Brown  is  waiting  and  the  wind 
has  settled  down  to  drawing  the  snow  pretty 
steadily.  (She  looks  out  of  the  window  and 
shrinks  back  with  an  exclamation.)  Oh! 

PEARL 

What  is  it,  Mother? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

There's  a  man  out  there ! 
PEARL 

Is  it  Grandfather? 

52 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


( There  comes  a  heavy  knock  upon  the  door. 
No  reply  comes  from  within,  and  the  knock  is 
repeated.) 

SYBIL  CLARK  (advancing  to  the  door  and  holding 

her  hand  on  the  latch) 

What  do  you  want? 
VOICE   (calling) 

Mrs.  Clark!     Mrs.  Clark! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

What  do  you  want?    Who  are  you? 
VOICE 

It's  Stephen  Short. 
SYBIL  CLARK    (shrinking,  but  opening  the  door, 

with  a  realization   of  his  intention   and  with 

fear  expressed  in  her  face  and  gestures) 

Come  in,  Mr.  Short! 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (stamping  snow  of  his  feet  on 

the  sill  and  kicking  his  boots  against  the  outside 

of  the  door  jamb) 

Good  evening,  ma'am.     It's  a  terrible  storm, 

ma'am,  with  snow  piling  up  in  drifts  as  if  it 

meant  business. 
SYBIL  CLARK  (unrelieved) 

Yes. 

STEPHEN    SHORT 

I  started  up  three  pheasants  out  there  taking 
shelter  under  the  white  cedars.  (He  shakes  of 
more  snow.)  They  went  off  with  a  "cut-cut-cut" 
and  a  swish  of  long  tail  feathers.  (He  takes  his 
cap  of  and  shakes  it.)  I  could  just  see  them. 
And  the  wind  has  got  the  trees  so  beaten  they're 
twisted  into  all  sorts  of  shapes  and  cracking 
like  old  bones.  And  those  larch  trees  of  yours 

S3 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


are  lashing  around  like  long  white  hair  on  an 
old  man's  head.  Yes,  it's  a  bad  night.  Yes, 
we're  in  for  a  bad  storm.  (Looking  about 
him.)  Where's  Ambrose? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

He  is  not  here. 

STEPHEN    SHORT 

What's  that  yell  I  heard? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Him  going  away,  I  guess. 

STEPHEN  SHORT    (looking  at  the   glass   on   the 
floor) 

I  see  you've  had  a  little  accident  here.  (He 
looks  at  Pearl.)  Child  been  burned? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes. 

STEPHEN    SHORT 

Ambrose  do  it? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes. 

STEPHEN    SHORT 

That's  what  I  thought. 
PEARL  (going  over  to  her  mother) 
Mother,  what's  he  mean? 

(They  do  not  hear  the  child's  question.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Did  Ambrose  throw  the  lamp  at  you  two? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

No. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

He  might  as  well  have  from  the  burn  that  child 
has.    Well,  where  is  he,  ma'am? 
54 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK    (defiantly) 

I  don't  know;  and  if  I  did,  I'd  not  tell  you. 
PEARL  (whispering) 

Mother,  what's  Mr.  Short  want  Father  for? 

(No  one  pays  any  attention  to  her  question.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

That's  the  way  you  treat  the  law!     And  then 

when  the  law  doesn't  do  what  you  want  it  to  do, 

you  find  fault  with  it. 
SYBIL  CLARK 

I  haven't  asked  the  law  to  do  anything  for  me. 

I  haven't  any  faith  in  it. 
STEPHEN  SHORT 

You  know  Ambrose  isn't  fit  to  stay  here,  and 
I've  come  to  get  him.  I'll  put  him  in  the  lock 
up  for  a  couple  of  nights  and  then  take  him  to 
the  state  asylum. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Why?    This  is  his  home. 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (not  unkindly) 

You'll  have  a  quieter  Christmas,  ma'am.    Your 

father'll  feel  better  about  you  and  Northerly 

will,  too. 
SYBIL  CLARK 

I  haven't  asked  for  any  particular  kind  of  a 

Christmas,  Stephen  Short.     I've  forgot  what 

any  kind  of  Christmas  is  like. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Well,  there,  Mrs.  Clark,  everybody  sees  he  isn't 
fit  to  stay  at  home  any  more. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

All  he'll  let  us  do  for  him,  we  do. 
55 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN  SHORT 

I'll  get  him  and  take  him  along  with  me  to  the 
lockup.  He'll  be  safe  there,  and  you  and  Pearl 
will  be  a  deal  sight  safer  here. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

No,  no !    He's  mine,  and  you  can't  have  him ! 

STEPHEN  SHORT   (doggedly) 

I'll  take  him  just  the  same!  The  law  makes 
him  mine.  (He  pulls  aside  his  coat  lapel  and 
shows  his  sheriff's  badge.  He  looks  significantly 
at  the  red  scar  on  Pearl's  forehead.)  This  has 
gone  on  long  enough. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (catching  her  breath  as  she  speaks) 
He  didn't  mean  it — it  was  the  lamp — he — 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (starting  for  the  door) 
Well,  I'll  just  go  along  and  find  him. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (stands  in  his  way) 

No,  no,  you  mustn't!  Everything  would  be 
different  if  you  could  make  men  see  things 
different.  Ambrose  ain't  bad.  He  is  good. 
Who  should  know  better  than  I,  Stephen  Short? 
It's  just  that  Ambrose  hasn't  ever  settled  down 
to  what  it  means  to  be  a — a  husband. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Or  a  father. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Or  a  father,  Stephen  Short.  But  there  are  lots 
of  children  in  the  world  who  haven't  ever  had 
more  than  one  parent,  Stephen  Short,  and  lots 
of  married  women  who  haven't  ever  had  what 
you  could  call  a  husband.  The  birds  could 
teach  men  lessons  they  haven't  ever  learned. 
I  tell  you,  Stephen  Short,  men  are  that  way. 

56 


THE   SUN    CHASER 


That's  the  reason  why  a  woman  has  no  choice 
sometimes  but  to  forget  her  man.  But,  oh, 
God!  even  a  woman's  body  remembers!  (She 
hides  her  face  in  her  hands.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT    (embarrassed  and  moving  to 
wards  the  door) 
Well,  Mrs.  Clark,— 

SYBIL  CLARK  (not  noticing  him,  her  face  in  her 
hands) 

She  can't  forget!  There  isn't  any  man  living 
knows  what  a  woman  has  to  meet.  A  woman 
bears  a  man.  She  marries  the  man  some  other 
woman  has  borne.  She  would  give  her  life  for 
him  and  wouldn't  have  a  hair  of  his  head  hurt. 
And  then  he's  a  right  to  go  and  do  just  as  he 
pleases — no  matter  what  she  says. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

I  don't  know,  Mrs.  Clark,  how  long  I  can  get 
through  the  roads  tonight.  The  snow  is  piling 
up  something  terrible,  and — 

SYBIL  CLARK  (looking  up  at  Stephen  Short  again) 
Men  are  that  way.  You  know  it,  Stephen  Short. 
They  keep  on  traveling.  Now  Ambrose  has 
that  idea  about  the  sun  in  his  head — 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (his  hand  on  the  latch) 
Well,  he's  crazy  now,  Mrs.  Clark — 

SYBIL  CLARK 

No  more  so  than  many  men  are,  Stephen  Short. 
If  men  would  only  stop  to  look  for  their  happi 
ness  at  home.  You  can't  raise  a  family  and 
keep  on  traveling  away  from  it  the  whole  time 
and  sun-chasing  and  going  to  Harding's  for 
57 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


drink.     But  Ambrose  was  meant  to  be  a  good 

man.     He  was  headed  that  way  once. 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (laconically) 

Well,  I'll  find  him  and  take  him  along  with  me 

to  the  lockup,  and  give  him  a  chance  to  think 

about  some  of  those  ideas. 
SYBIL  CLARK  (trying  to  detain  him) 

No,  wait! 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (opening  and  closing  the  door) 

I  hope  you  will  have  a  quiet  Christmas,  ma'am ! 

(He  is  gone.) 
SYBIL  CLARK  (motionless) 

A  quiet  Christmas!     Have  a  quiet  Christmas! 

Oh,  God!    God!    God! 
PEARL  (pleadingly) 

Mother,  you  have  me ! 
SYBIL  CLARK  (as  if  awakening) 

Oh,  yes!    Yes,  Pearl! 

PEARL 

And  isn't  Grandfather  good? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes. 

PEARL  (putting  her  arm  about  her  mother) 

Mother,  is  he  going  to  take  care  of  Father? 

SYBIL  CLARK    (uncertainly) 

Yes,  oh,  yes !  (She  looks  about  her.)  It's  grow 
ing  fearfully  late.  I  must  be  getting  things 
together.  (She  shakes  down  the  fire  and  puts 
on  more  wood.  She  begins  to  find  her  coat 
and  hood,  etc.,  etc.) 

PEARL 

Where  are  you  going,  Mother?  To  do 
something  for  Father? 

58 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK  (tying  her  woolen  hood  under  her 
chin) 

No,  I'm  going  to  the  Doctor's  now  with  the 
wash.  I'm  late. 

PEARL 

Will  you  be  there  long,  Mother? 
SYBIL  CLARK  (drawing  on  her  coat) 

I  can't  tell.  There's  the  wash  to  deliver  and 
the  wash  to  collect. 

PEARL 

Are  you  going  to  stay  long,  Mother? 
SYBIL  CLARK  (taking  the  linen  cover  off  the  top 
of  the  express  cart  and  then  putting  it  back  on) 
Mrs.  Brown  is  always  real  kind.  They  always 
ask  me  to  set  awhile.  But  tonight  I'll  get  away 
as  quick  as  I  can,  for  I  don't  like  leaving  you 
alone.  (Thinking  of  Ambrose  and  Stephen 
Short.) 

PEARL 

Mother,  I'll  be  safe. 

SYBIL    CLARK 

Yes,  you're  safe  enough  now.  But  if  Father 
should  come  back  you're  to  lock  that  door 
against  him. 

PEARL 

Oh,  Mother,  against  Father? 

SYBIL    CLARK 

Do  as  I  say.    I  won't  stop  at  Grandfather's  at 
all.     I'll  come  straight  home.      (She  pushes 
the  express  cart  near  the  door.) 
PEARL  (suddenly) 

Mother,  will  Father  be  hungry? 
59 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK 

I  don't  know.  Maybe  they  won't  catch  him. 
(Looking  around  for  the  lantern.)  There,  I 
must  have  that  lantern  with  me.  I'll  light  a 
candle  for  you,  Pearl.  Fetch  it  from  the  clock 
shelf. 

PEARL  (bringing  the  candle) 

Mother,  can  Father  see  in  the — in  the  lockup? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (taking  the  candle  and  lighting  it) 
I  don't  know.  (With  tenderness.)  There,  I 
wish  the  storm  hadn't  set  in  and  I  didn't  have 
to  leave  you!  But  you'll  be  safe  and  warm 
here,  Pearl.  When  I  get  back  I'll  tell  you  all 
about  that  Christmas  tree. 

PEARL 

Oh,  Mother! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes,  maybe  I  can  bring  you  something,  too. 
And  with  the  money  the  Doctor's  wife  will  pay 
for  this  wash,  I  can  buy  enough  food  to  see  us 
through  most  of  the  week  safely,  and  per 
haps  enough  of  that  canton  flannel  for  one 
nightgown,  anyhow.  (Her  face  brightens  and 
she  looks  around  the  kitchen.)  I've  left  a  good 
fire  for  you,  darling. 

PEARL  (running  towards  her  mother) 

Mother,  can  I  go  with  you  ? 
SYBIL  CLARK  (turning  towards  the  windows) 

Out  in  this?    No,  of  course  not!     I  said  you 

couldn't. 
PEARL  (begging) 

Aren't  you  going  to  get  Father  something? 
60 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK   (decisively) 
No,  I  am  not! 

PEARL  (frightened  by  the  thought  of  his  hunger) 
But,  Mother,  Father  will  be  hungry!  Can't  I 
take  him  something  to  eat? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

No.  They'll  look  out  for  him,  I  guess,  where 
he  is  going  to  be. 

PEARL  (pleadingly  and  seeing  the  dark  place  where 
her  father  is  to  be  shut  up} 
Couldn't  you  buy  Father  something  to  eat  with 
that  quarter  Doctor  gave  me? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Unless  I'm  mistaken,  your  father  has  that 
quarter  and  has  spent  it  at  Mr.  Harding's  be 
fore  this.  And  they  wouldn't  allow  me  to  take 
your  father  anything  to  eat. 

PEARL  (frightened) 

They,  Mother?  The  people  who  are  putting 
Father  there? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Yes.  (Opening  the  door  a  crack  through 
which  snow  whirls.)  It's  a  terrible  storm 
outside.  The  wagon'll  travel  body-deep  in  the 
snow  that  has  fallen  already.  (Patiently.)  But 
I  can  manage  it,  I  guess.  (She  closes  the  door.) 

PEARL 

Let  me  help,  Mother.  (Her  mother  cannot 
hear  her,  for  the  door  remains  closed.)  Oh, 
Mother,  Father'll  be  hungry!  (Pearl  runs  to 
the  window,  and  her  hands  on  either  side  of 
her  head,  she  tries  to  see  out  into  the  whirling 
61 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


storm.  She  takes  the  candle  and  goes  over  to  the 
ironing  board  and  looks  among  the  broken  glass. 
She  finds  the  quarter.)  It  is  here!  It  is  here! 
(She  clutches  it.)  He  shan't  be  hungry!  Fa 
ther  shan't  be  hungry!  (She  runs  to  the  door 
and  pulls  it  open  and  shouts  out  into  the  roar  of 
the  storm.)  Mother!  Mother!  I  have  found 
the  quarter!  Mother,  Father  is  hungry!  Can't 
I  buy  some  bread  for  him  and  take  it  to  him? 

(There  is  no  reply.  Only  the  snow  is  seen 
whirling  in.  Pearl  runs  for  her  coat,  pulls 
herself  into  it,  finds  her  cap,  draws  that  down 
about  her  ears,  and  leaps  out  into  the  rush  of 
snow  and  wind,  slamming  the  door  after  her. 
For  an  instant  there  is  a  strange  echo  of  the 
Sun  Chaserys  lame  step,  then  silence,  and  an 
empty  room  in  which  only  a  candle  flickers.) 

CURTAIN 


62 


ACT  III. 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  HARDING'S  STORE 

There  is  an  oil  lamp  in  front  of  either  display 
window.  At  the  rear  of  Harding' s  store  is  an 
other  of  these  lamps.  From  east  to  west  runs 
a  long  counter.  At  the  east  is  a  short  one,  be 
yond  which  is  a  big,  old-fashioned  stove;  about 
it  a  couple  of  benches,  some  chairs,  a  barrel,  a 
box  of  sawdust  to  be  used  as  a  spittoon.  On 
an  upright  not  far  from  the  stove  hang  some 
axes,  big  wooden  mallets,  and  some  cant  dogs. 
Beyond  the  stove  and  benches  is  the  handrail 
of  a  stairway  leading  down  into  the  cellar.  To 
the  west  of  that  is  a  large  table  on  which  Christ 
mas  presents  are  laid  out,  and  on  which  is  a 
small  Christmas  tree  crudely  trimmed  with  the 
usual  ornaments,  candles,  stockings  filled  with 
popcorn  and  toys,  little  shoes  stuffed  with  candy, 
etc.  From  the  top  a  gaudy  Christ-child  dangles 
glistening  in  the  lamplight.  It  is  a  frontier  store 
crowded  to  the  eaves  with  everything  imagi 
nable — groceries,  dry  goods,  coats,  suits,  fire 
arms,  snowshoes,  boots,  leggings,  candy,  Christ 
mas  presents,  hardware,  etc. 

It  is  about  seven  o'clock. 

Harding  comes  into  the  store,  looks  about 
him,  picking  his  teeth  contemplatively.  He 
throws  the  toothpick  into  the  box  of  sawdust 

63 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


and  turns  up  the  wick  of  the  lamp  by  the  stove. 
Then  he  goes  forward  and  turns  up  the  lamps 
by  either  window. 

HARDING  (turning  and  calling] 

Missus,  bring  the  broom,  will  you?  (He  scuffs 
around  by  the  doorsill,  under  which  snow  has 
been  driven.) 

(Mrs.  Harding  comes  into  the  store  with  a 
broom.) 

MRS.  HARDING 

You  wouldn't  even  brush  this  up  yourself,  would 
you? 

HARDING 

No,  curse  ye ! 

MRS.  HARDING  (beginning  to  brush  the  snow  out) 
What  with  all  the  housework  and  finishing 
Christmas  presents  and  trimming  that  tree  there 
(she  points  to  the  tree)  and  making  the  pies 
and  all,  it  does  seem  to  me  you  might  leave  me 
just  to  finish  the  supper  dishes! 

HARDING 

What's  a  woman  for? 

MRS.  HARDING  (sweeping  the  snow  out  with  extra 
energy) 

You  don't  have  to  ask  that  question,  Ranney 
Harding,  for  I've  asked  it  myself  more'n  a  mil 
lion  times.  And  I've  asked  what  a  man's  for, 
too,  and  there's  some  of  you,  like  Ambrose 
Clark,  that  is  a  good  deal  better  out  of  the  way 
than  in  it. 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING  (changing  the  subject) 

See  how  this  storm  has  driven  up  against  this 
southeast  window.  Can't  nothing  be  seen 
through  that,  I  guess. 

MRS.   HARDING 

I  guess  not.    (Finishing  the  sweeping.)   There! 
(She  takes  the  broom  and  goes  to  the  back  of 
the  store  and  out  through  the  door.) 
HARDING  (under  his  breath) 

God  damn  ye!  (He  hears  a  step  coming  in) 
What's  that?  (The  door  bursts  open  and  the 
Sun  Chaser  staggers  in.)  Hey,  there!  What 
you  doing  letting  in  all  this  blizzard  I  just  swept 
out !  Shut  that  door,  you  drunken  fool ! 

(  The  Sun  Chaser  closes  the  door  with  difficulty 
and  leans,  panting,  against  the  jamb.  Harding 
goes  up  closer  to  him  and  looks  at  him  con 
temptuously,  the  lamplight  shining  down  on  the 
Sun  Chaser's  copper-colored  hair,  his  flaming 
face,  and  bloodshot  eyes.) 

HARDING 

What  you  want?  I  told  you  you  don't  get  no 
more  trust  in  this  store. 

SUN  CHASER  (his  hand  fumbling  in  his  pocket) 
Here!     (Panting,  his  hand  trembling,  he  holds 
up  the  quarter  Pearl  had  given  him  earlier  in 
the  day. )    Was  another — couldn't  find  it !    Shy- 
Shybil's  got  it! 

HARDING 

She  has!  (Mollified,  taking  the  quarter.) 
Well,  I  have  it  now.  You  can't  get  something 
for  nothing  in  this  world,  Ambrose.  You  owe 

65 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


me  a  dime.  That  leaves  you  fifteen.  That's 
not  much.  But  I'm  honest,  strictly  honest.  It's 
the  best  policy. 

SUN  CHASER  (apologetically) 
Hot  race,  all  day,  all  night ! 

HARDING  (holding  the  quarter  under  the  lamp) 
Yes,  I  guess  it  must  be  considerable  hot  some 
times.  (Reads)  "In  God  we  trust" — yep,  that 
is  real  enough!  (Bites  it)  Yep,  Uncle  Sam's 
silver  and  Uncle  Sam's  motto — both  good. 
(He  turns  on  the  Sun  Chaser.)  Well?  Whis 
key,  gin,  apple-jack — what? 

SUN  CHASER  (with  difficulty) 
Whiskey. 

HARDING 

Have  some  that  beats  the  gin  all  to  dregs  for 
strength  and  bite.  (Harding  puts  the  quarter 
in  his  pocket  and,  picking  up  a  jug,  goes  down 
the  cellar  stairs.) 

SUN  CHASER  (looking  after  Harding  and  speak 
ing  wearily) 
Hot  race — all  day — all  night — forever! 

HARDING  (from  cellar) 

Hey,  swing  that  light  around  so  it'll  shine  onto 
these  steps! 

( The  Sun  Chaser  reaches  for  the  lamp,  but  his 
unsteady  hand  only  makes  futile  passes  in  at 
tempting  to  touch  it.) 

SUN  CHASER  (mumbling) 

Silver  windows!    Dawn  coming!    (He  catches 
sight  of  the  tree  and  the  Christ-child  on  the 
66 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


top.)    What's  that?   Sun?    (He  tries  to  touch 

the  Christ-child.) 
HARDING  (emerging  with  the  jug) 

Hey,  there,  Ambrose,  what  you  doing?     Let 

that  tree  alone ! 
SUN  CHASER  (points  to  the  Christ-child) 

That's  sun  shining! 

HARDING 

That's  nothing,  you  fool.  That's  the  little  Jesus 
I  hung  up  there  for  the  missus.  Why  didn't 
you  turn  that  lamp  the  way  I  told  you  to  do? 

SUN  CHASER  (mumbling  and  looking  abashed) 
Bad  pain — all  day — all  night ! 

HARDING  (setting  down  the  jug  and  pouring  out  a 
glassful,  while  Ambrose  eagerly,  wildly  watches 
him) 

Well,  I  don't  see  what's  to  prevent  your  having 
a  bad  pain  the  whole  time,  the  way  you  carry  on. 

(He  hands  him  the  glass,  which  is  yellow  and 
murky  and  from  which  fumes  rise.  The  Sun 
Chaser  snatches  the  glass  before  It  brims,  tosses 
it  off,  and  holds  It  out  to  be  re  filed.) 

HARDING  (Interested,  watching  him) 

That  must  feel  like  hot  metal  to  your  insides ! 

Never  could  touch  the  stuff.    Don't  believe  in  it  I 

I'm  strictly  temperance,  I  am. 
SUN  CHASER  (still  holding  the  glass) 

More! 
HARDING  (hesitating) 

Dunno  'bout  letting  you  run  up  any  more  bills 

here.    Mrs.  Clark  said — 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SUN  CHASER  (still  holding  out  the  glass) 
Shybil'llpay!    Shybil'll  pay!    More! 

HARDING  (refilling  the  glass  slowly) 

Well,  she'll  have  to!  But  it  gets  me  how  you 
can  do  it!  I  should  think  it  would  bite  your 
very  fingers  and  ears  off  and  seethe  in  your  belly 
like  a  red-hot  stove  lid.  (He  hands  him  a  sec 
ond  glass,  which  the  Sun  Chaser  snatches  and 
tosses  off,  wildly.) 

SUN  CHASER  (holding  out  the  glass) 
More! 

HARDING 

Hey? 

SUN  CHASER 

One  more — just  one  more  and  sun's  caught. 
You — you — shee. 
HARDING  (takes  the  glass  to  refill  it) 

Well,  this'll  make  your  third  and  your  last. 

( There  is  stamping  on  the  stoop  of  the  store, 
the  door  latch  rattles,  the  door  opens.  Old  Joe 
Elvey  and  Mack  enter,  blowing  and  brushing 
snow  from  themselves.) 

OLD  JOE 

Phew!    Phew!    Phew!      What   a    smother   of 
snow!      What     a     smother     of     snow.     (He 
wheezes.) 
MACK 

Aye,  man,  the  worst  in  twenty  years. 

HARDING 

Come  in! 

MACK  (looking  at  the  Christmas  tree) 
Man,  that's  gay  and  fine ! 
68 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING  (not  without  pride) 

Yes,  Missus  wanted  it.  And  it's  good  for  busi 
ness,  too! 

OLD  JOE  (looking  at  the  Sun  Chaser,  who  is  drain- 
ing  the  third  glass) 

So  that's  it !  (To  Harding,  who  is  still  looking 
at  the  Christmas  tree.)  You  old  rascal!  (He 
shakes  a  trembling  fist  at  Harding.) 

HARDING 

Hey,  what  you  calling  names  for? 
(Old  Joe  goes  over  to  Sun  Chaser) 

HARDING 

Seems  as  if  it  might  do  good  to  a  man  now  and 
then. 
OLD  JOE 

Watch  his  face  glaze ! 

HARDING 

Looks  steady  enough  now! 

OLD  JOE  (disgusted  and  in  a  quavering  voice) 
It's  a  God-almighty  queer  sort  of  steadiness  a 
man  gets  that  way !  ( To  the  Sun  Chaser, 
gently.)  Ambrose!  Ambrose!  I  guess  you'd 
better  stop,  my  boy !  (He  puts  an  unsteady  hand 
on  him.)  There's  others  to  think  about,  Am 
brose. 

SUN  CHASER  (suddenly) 
Damn  the  women! 

(Old  Joe  starts  back.  The  two  men  go  over  to 
the  benches,  where  they  sit  down  and  extend 
their  snow-wet  boots  to  the  big  stove.  Old  Joe 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


sits  with  his  head  in  his  hands  >  the  old  shoulders 
shaking  once  in  a  while.  The  Sun  Chaser  fol 
lows  them.} 

MACK  (to  Ambrose) 

Nay,  nay,  man,  those  are  no  words  to  use  about 
the  women,  God  bless  'em !  Weel,  man,  what 
luck  today? 

SUN  CHASER  (studying  the  lamp  by  the  stove) 
None,  none  today.     But  tomorrow  I  shall  over 
take  the  sun! 

MACK 

Weel,  that's  good  news,  man. 

SUN  CHASER  (seizing  Mack  by  the  front  of  the  coaty 
drawing  him  towards  him,  and  whispering  in 
his  ear) 

I  tell  you — don't  tell  him ! — (pointing  to  Old  Joe) 
how  I  know  thish.  I  saw — a  piece — on  Sybil's 
—ironing  board — for  the  first  time. 

HARDING 

Did  you  get  it? 
SUN  CHASER  (shaking  his  head) 

No! 
OLD  JOE  (looking  up) 

What  was  it  a  piece  of,  Ambrose? 
SUN  CHASER  (nodding) 

The  sun,  of  course.    But  my  wife's  against  me. 

Damn  the  women! 

MACK 

Hech,  man,  stop  that! 
OLD  JOE  (alarmed) 

He's   been   up  to   something.      (To  Ambrose.) 
What  you  been  doing?    What  you  been  doing? 
70 


THE    SUN    CHASE.R 


HARDING  (amiably) 

Oh,  he's  harmless!  Soothing  syrup  could  do 
more  damage  than  he  can. 

OLD  JOE 

It's  my  Sybil  he's  cursing.  (He trembles  strangely.) 
My  Sybil!  I'm  her  father,  but  I  might  as  well 
be  nobody  to  her  for  all  the  power  I  have! 

MACK  (comforting) 

Tut,  man!    It's  no  so  bad  as  that. 

OLD  JOE 

And  she'll  stick  to  him  to  the  end.  (Mumbling.) 
She's  a  loyal  nature;  yes,  there  never  was  a 
better  girl  than  Sybil.  There  wouldn't  nothing 
make  her  give  him  up  'cept  something  coming 
to  Pearl,  and  I  don't  think  as  that  would,  either. 

MACK 

Things  will  be  better,  man,  rather  than  worse. 

OLD  JOE  (miserably) 

I've  no  confidence  in  anything  any  more — 
none.  What  kind  of  a  world  is  it,  I'd  like  to 
know,  that  lets  a  man  go  head-on  to  a  smash-up, 
dragging  his  whole  family  with  him? 

MACK 

Weel,  cee-veel-i-zation  is — 

OLD  JOE  (bitterly) 

You  call  this  ce-vee-li-za-tion  ?  (He  points  to 
the  Sun  Chaser.) 

SUN  CHASER  (swaying  over  an  empty  bench) 
I  want  to  sit  down! 

HARDING 

Why  don't  you? 
SUN  CHASER  (laughing) 

Going  to,  but — the — bench — keeps — moving— 
off— like  the — the  sun ! 
71 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

Rising  or  going  down  ? 

SUN  CHASER 

Ri— ri— 

HARDING 

Down,  I  guess. 

(The  Sun  Chaser  sits  down,  misses  the  bench,  and 
is  tenderly  picked  up  by  Mack.) 

MACK  (as  if  to  a  child) 

There,  man,  there;  sit  still! 
SUN  CHASER  (laughing  and  crying) 

Damn  the  women!     Damn  the  women!     All 

against  us!    All  against  us! 
MACK  (severely) 

Hech,  man,  I  said  ye're  no  to  say  that  again! 
OLD  JOE  (suddenly  frantic) 

You  stop  cursing  my  Sybil!    You  say  that  once 

more  and  I'll— I'll— kill  ye! 

MACK 

There!    There!     Man! 

HARDING 

See  here,  Ambrose,  you'll  have  to  get  out  of 
here  if  you  go  on  like  this!  This  is  a  moral 
store,  and  we  don't  stand  no  cursing  the 
women ! 

MACK 

Speak  quietly,  man,  quietly! 

HARDING    (tO  Mack) 

What  ails  him  tonight?     He's  worse  than  ever. 
MACK  (steadying  the  Sun  Chaser  on  the  bench) 
He's  reeling  drunk,  and  his  wits  is  maist  gone 
after  all  these  five  years  of  sousing.     (Gently  to 
the  Sun  Chaser.)    Come,  man,  come! 
72 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD  JOE  (going  to  (he  upright  by  the  cellar  stair, 

where  axes  and  mallets   hang,    and  fingering   a 

mallet.      To  Harding] 

What  would  one  of  these  mallets  cost,  Ranney? 
HARDING  (turning  around) 

Mallets  P    Oh,  I  just  sold  one  of  them  mallets 

to  two  frisky  Kanucks  for  a  dollar.     I'll  let 

you  have  this  one  for  ninety  cents. 
OLD  JOE 

Ninety  cents. 

HARDING 

But  what  use  you  got  for  a  mallet? 

OLD  JOE 

Why,  a  mallet's  handy— 

SUN  CHASER  (shouts  suddenly  as  he  sinks  down  on 
the  bench  and  beats  on  the  floor  with  his  wooden- 
shod  foot) 
As  for  me,  give  me  the  sun — the  sun  for  me! 

HARDING 

There  he  goes  again! 

SUN  CHASER  (the  tattoo  on  the  floor  growing  quieter 
and  his  voice  gradually  becoming  inaudible) 
The  sun!    The  sun!     (His  feet  are  quiet.)    The 
sun  for  me! 

MACK  (looking  at  Ambrose  compassionately) 

He's  senseless  enough  now,  man!  The  dawn 
and  sun  of  Christmas  Day  will  come  and  he 
will  no  feel  either,  I  am  thinking.  There's  not 
a  frozen  root  in  the  earth  will  not  know  more 
than  he  does,  or  a  frozen  pool  won't  catch  more 
light  than  he  can. 

OLD  JOE  (gloomily) 

Yes,  knowing  things  is  not  Ambrose's  way. 
73 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING  (beginning) 
Seeing  'em — 

(Old  Joe  glares  at  him.  Harding  stops  and  no 
one  laughs  at  the  attempted  joke.) 

MACK 

It's  sad,  man,  for  the  mice  in  the  fields  will 
know  the  sun  is  coming,  the  squirrels  in  their 
holes,  wing  o'  bird,  and  tip  o'  tree  will  know  it, 
but  Ambrose  will  know  nothing!  (He  shakes 
his  head  and  holds  up  one  finger  to  Harding.) 

HARDING 

Yes.    (He  goes  over  to  get  Mack's  whiskey  for  him .) 

(Harding  gives  him  the  glass  and  Mack  gives  him 
some  money.  They  stand  with  their  backs  to  Old 
Joe  and  the  Sun  Chaser.  Suddenly  the  Sun 
Chaser  s  feet  begin  to  beat  a  tattoo  on  the  floor, 
clip-clop,  and  on;  clip-clop,  and  stop,  etc.) 

OLD  JOE 

He's  dreaming  he's  going  somewhere.  If  he'd 
only  go!  (He  leans  over  and  looks  in  his  face.) 

MACK 

Aye,  man,  but  how  can  he  go  anywhere? 
SUN  CHASER  (in  his  drunken  sleep) 
The  sun!    The  sun! 

HARDING 

You'd  think  he'd  be  warm  enough  without  this 
continual  calling  for  the  sun! 

(Avoiding  the  attention  of  all,  Old  Joe  turns  and 
goes  stealthily  to  the  upright  where  the  axes  and 
mallets  hang,  takes  down  a  big  wooden  mallet, 
and  tiptoes  back.) 

74 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MACK  (taking  another  glass) 

Tis  a  world  maist  too  strange  for  under 
standing!  (Old  Joe  lifts  the  mallet  over  the  Sun 
Chaser  s  head  and  is  about  to  strike.  Mack  turns 
suddenly  and  sees  Old  Joe  with  the  mallet  raised.) 
Stop,  man! 

(The  mallet  crashes  to  the  floor  and  Old  Joe  sinks 
back  on  a  chair.  Mack  covers  him  as  steps  are 
heard  on  the  porch  and  the  stamping  of  feet. 
The  door  opens y  the  lamps  suck  and  flare  in  the 
draught  of  the  storm,  and,  still  shaking  himself y 
Stephen  Short  enters.) 

MACK  (soberly) 

Merry  Christmas  to  ye,  Stephen  Short! 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (not  seeing  the  Sun  Chaser  lying 
on  the  bench) 
I'm  here  on  no  Christmas  errand. 

MACK  (more  cheerfully) 

Hech,  man,  what  ye  so  sober  about? 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (shaking  out  his  collar  and  coming 
over  to  the  stove) 

Anyone  not  in  the  mood  for  a  fight  might 
perish  in  the  storm  tonight. 

MACK 

Aye,  a  bad  storm! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

On  my  way  down  I  could  not  see  a  thing  except 
the  white  lines  of  the  birch  trees  and  the  dark 
blotches  of  the  evergreens.  (He  holds  out  his 
hands  to  the  stove,  his  back  to  the  bench  on  which 
the  Sun  Chaser  lies.) 

75 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

I  shall  be  losing  a  pile  of  trade  tonight,  with 
the  Kanucks  not  coming  in  on  Christmas  Eve 
for  their  brandy  and  tinned  meats. 

OLD  JOE  (not  himself) 

Some  of  'em  will  get  here.  Some  of  'em  will 
get  here.  There'll  be  trouble,  trouble,  trouble! 

HARDING  (turning  on  him  angrily) 
Hey? 

OLD  JOE 

Trouble,  trouble,  trouble! 

STEPHEN  SHORT   (tO  Mack) 

What's  the  matter  with  the  old  fellow? 

MACK 

He  does  no  feel  like  himself,  man.    'Twill  pass. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

It  took  me  three-quarters  of  an  hour  getting 
down  hill  from  Sybil  Clark's  in  this  storm. 
OLD  JOE  (lifting  his  head) 

What  were  you  doing  up  at  my  daughter's? 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Looking  for  Ambrose. 
OLD  JOE  (surprised) 
You— 

MACK 

Weel,  man,  if  you're  looking  for  Ambrose — 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (nodding  to  Old  Joe,  but  paying  no 
attention  to  them  otherwise) 
Yes,  I  knew  you'd  be  relieved.    Yes,  I  thought 
Northerly  would  better  get  things  straightened 
out  for  Christmas  Day,  so  I  went  up  there — 
MACK  (pointing  to  the  Sun  Chaser) 
Weel,  ye've  come  to  the  right  place! 
76 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN  SHORT  (not  noticing} 
Just  in   the  nick  of  time,   too.     They'd  been 
having  some  sort  of  a  fracas  with  the  lamp,  and 
the  lamp  lay  smashed  on   the  floor,  and  the 
child  was  burned  on  the  forehead. 

OLD  JOE 

He  hadn't  killed  them? 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

No,  neither  was  hurt  bad. 
OLD  JOE  (trembling) 

But  he'll  burn  them  all  up  some  day.  You 
take  him  away  with  you.  If  you  wait,  don't 
you  see — 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

He  was  gone. 

HARDING 

He  came  straight  here,  I  guess. 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (starting) 

Here? 
HARDING  ( pointing  to  the  bench  behind  Stephen  Short) 

There,  behind  you,  where  Mack  was  telling  you! 
OLD  JOE  (beseechingly) 

Don't  leave  him   here.     Take   him   right  out 

into   this  storm,   Steve!     It  won't  hurt  him! 

O  God,  be  good  to  an  old  man!     Take  him 

with  you!    Take  him  with  you! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Yep,  it's  what  I  mean  to  da 
HARDING  (cynically) 

And  you  ain't  God,  either! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

The  sooner  I  take  him  the  better.    The  lockup's 
the  place  for  him.     (Beginning  to  shake  the  Sun 
Chaser.)    Wake  up,  Ambrose,  wake  up! 
77 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(There  is  heavy,  gasping  breathing  from  the  Sun 
Chaser?) 

MACK 

Just  hear  him  snore! 

HARDING   (standing  over  the   Sun  Chaser  to  help 
Stephen  Short) 

Get  up!  (No  answer.)  Beat  him  on  the  soles 
of  the  feet!  (Stephen  Short  shakes  his  head. 
Harding  fetches  the  poker.)  Well,  I  will.  It's 
good  treatment  for  sun-chasing.  It's  all  he's  fit 
for.  (He  beats  the  soles  of  the  Sun  Chaser  s  feet. 
The  Sun  Chaser  turns  and  groans.)  He's  coming 
to.  If  he  don't  keep  on  coming,  I'll  heat  the 
poker.  That'd  stir  him  up !  (He  continues  beating.) 

OLD  JOE  (flaming  into  sudden  anger  and  threatening 
Harding) 

Here,  stop  beating  his  lame  foot,  you  damned 
skunk  of  a  storekeeper!  (He  snatches  up  the 
mallet  from  the  floor.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Hi,  there,  Joe;  no  fights  on  Christmas  Eve! 

HARDING   (tO  Old  Joe) 

You  don't  think  we  didn't  see  what  you  was 
going  to  do  with  that  mallet  once  before! 
You  don't  want  to  be  free  with  'em! 

MACK 

Hech,  man,  hech! 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (to  Harding) 

Fetch  a  glass  of  water  and  try  that! 
HARDING  (sullenly) 

He's  past  finding  any  glass  of  water  useful. 

You  let  me  heat  that  poker.    That'll  get  him  up. 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD  JOE 

Don't  you  dare  torture  him! 
MACK. 

Aye,  man,  'twould  be  cruel.  I  can  remember 
when  the  lad  was  a  good  lad. 

(Harding  goes  for  water.) 

OLD  JOE 

He  was  a  good  lad,  a  very  good  lad — none 
better — when  I  let  my  Sybil  marry  him. 

MACK  (with  a  glance  for  Stephen  Short) 

Aye,  weel,  one  thing's  sure.  What  most  people 
haven't  seen  with  their  own  eyes  is  what  they 
will  no  believe  in. 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Oh,  come,  Mack;  the  Sun  Chaser  is  plain  drunk, 
and  you  know  it. 

MACK 

Weel,  perhaps  he  is;  I  didna  say  he  was  not. 
But  he  is  ill,  man. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

111?    He's  a  bad  lot,  that's  what  he  is! 

MACK 

Nay,  ill.  Ye  would  no  beat  an  insane  man, 
would  ye?  Yet  they  used  to  do  that,  Stephen 
Short, — whip  them  till  the  welts  stood  out  all 
over  them,  and  starve  them  and  put  them  in 
the  storm  and  cold  to  be  cured.  Aye,  they  did 
it  the  world  over! 

(Their  eyes  meet  and  there  is  a  pause?) 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (decisively) 

Well,  something's  got  to  be  done! 
79 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING    (returns  and  throws   water  on   the   Sun 
Chaser's  face) 
Get  up! 

(JVith  a  cry,  Ambrose  jerks  upright  and  puts  out 
his  hands  to  shield  himself?) 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (putting  his   hand  on   Ambrose's 
shoulder  kindly) 
There,  now,  come  with  me,  Ambrose! 

SUN   CHASER 

Oh,  Steve! — Yes — Time  to  put  out  lamps, 
Steve? 

HARDING 

Lamps!    Get  out  of  here  now,  you  fool! 

SUN  CHASER  (quietly) 
I'm  Sun  Chaser! 

(Stephen  Short  helps  him  to  his  feet.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Come,  Ambrose! 

SUN   CHASER   (with  dignity,  looking  at  them  all) 
Plenty  of  happiness — plenty  for  all! 

(Held  by  Stephen  Short,  the  Sun  Chaser  limps 
forward:  clip-clop  and  stop;  clip-clop  and  on. 
Old  Joe  opens  the  door,  the  lamp  flares,  the  door 
closes.  Not  a  word  is  said.  Old  Joe  holds  onto 
the  door,  looking  out  into  the  storm.) 

MACK  (after  the  door  is  closed) 

You  could  make  as  much  racket  stamping  on 
twelve  thicknesses  of  blanket  as  walking  in 
this  snow. 

HARDING 

Well  not  hear  his  step  clumping  to  the  lockup. 
80 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD  JOE 

Maybe  you'll   not  hear  it,  but   there'll   be  a 
woman    and    a    child,    for    all    that,    will    hear 
every  step  he   takes   to  that  lockup.     I'll  be 
going  over  home  now. 
MACK 

What  ye  going  for? 

OLD  JOE 

Sybil.     But  if  I  don't  find  Sybil  there,  I'll  go 
up  the  hill. 

HARDING 

Out  in  this? 

MACK 

Aye,  ye're  foolish,  man. 
OLD  JOE 

After  what's  happened  tonight  Sybil  might  need 

me.     (He  straightens  himself.)     I  always  want 

her  to  feel  she  can  depend  upon  me.    (Pausing.) 

Merry  Christmas!    (He goes  out.) 
MACK  (looking  after  Old  Joe) 

There's  no  streak  of  yellow  in  that  old  fellow 

anywhere. 

HARDING 

He's   like   me.     He   deserves   more   happiness 
than  has  come  to  him. 

MACK 

Weel,  'tis  a  world  maist  too  strange  for  under 
standing! 

HARDING 

Sure,   but   all   the   men   who  drink   ain't   like 
Ambrose  Clark — crazy,  reeling  drunk  the  whole 
time!    You  take  your  glass  regular.    Now  I'm 
temperance,  strictly— 
Si 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(Loud  stamping  of  feet  is  heard  on  the  store 
porch  and  several  voices  speaking  a  French 
patois?) 

MACK 

There  are  your  Christmas  lumberjacks;  aye, 
coming  for  that  Christmas  whiskey. 

HARDING 

No,  it's  brandy  they  drink,  to  a  man! 

(Three  French  Canadians — Eateese  ^  Exxor,  and 
Pierre — come  in.  They  stack  their  snowshoes  just 
inside  the  door.) 

BATEESE 

A  good  evening  messieurs!    (He  bows.) 
HARDING  (grunting) 

Glad  you  find  this  blizzard  good. 

BATEESE 

Not  good  blizzard,  m'sieu!    Blizzard  bad.    We 

pass  rhomme   qui   chasse   le   soleil — how   you 

say,  Sun  Chasseur,  and  ze  shereef. 
EXXOR  (flinging  his  empty  pack  down  on  the  counter) 

They  have  bad  time  arrive  at  preeson. 
PIERRE 

De  jail  tight  place!     (Pierre  and  Eateese  stand 

by  the  stove.) 

BATEESE 

Zee  snow  she  skeep  lak  de  bee  in  sommer;  she 
fly,  she  bozz. 

PIERRE 

Oui,  zee  snow  she  jomp  lak  de  sommer  bee  an' 
seeng!  (Catching  sight  of  the  Christmas  tree  on 
the  table)  Ah-h-h!  (He  pulls  off  his  cap  and 
crosses  himself.  Eateese  and  Exxor  do  the  same.) 
82 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


BATEESE  (in  a  low  voice) 

Noel! 
HARDING  (following  their  glance) 

Yes,  we're  ready  for  Christmas! 
MACK 

Can  you  sing  that  little  snowbird  song  still, 

Pierre? 

PIERRE 

O  God,  yes!    I  sing!    She  grand  song.    (Points 

to  the  tree.)    She's  tres  jolie!    Oui! 
BATEESE  (fingers  a  little  shoe  stuffed  with  candy) 

Leetle  shoe,  jolie,  hein?    (He  sucks  in  his  mouth 

as  if  he  wants  to  eat  it  up,  and  laughs) 
PIERRE  (lifting  up  his  huge  moccasin) 

Leetle  shoe  too  beeg,  hein? 

BATEESE 

0  God,  yes! 

{The  Doctor  comes  in.) 

PIERRE  AND  BATEESE 

M'sieu'  le  Docteur!    (They  bow.) 

(The  third  man,  Exxor,  has  gone  over  to  the 
counter  and  is  bargaining  with  Harding.  There 
are  many  gestures,  many  bottles,  many  tins  of 
meat,  and  many  boxes  of  tobacco  displayed,  while 
Pierre  and  Bateese  get  ready  to  sing  and  play) 

EXXOR 

Non,  non!  Zee  lady  hen,  he — zee  lady  hen, 
he- 

HARDING 

1  see.     Don't   be  so   frantic,   man!     All   you 
want  is  canned  chicken!   There!    (He  slams  one- 
half  dozen  tins  of  chicken  down  on  the  counter.) 

83 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


EXXOR 

Oui,  an'  zee  tabac  for  Christmas — for  zee 
Noel— 

DOCTOR 

Well,  Pierre,  how's  that  face  of  yours? 

PIERRE 

She  do  well,  I  t'ank,  M'sieu'  le  Docteur.  She 
sam' — belle  visage — sam'  belle  face — O  God, 
yes !  (He  smiles?) 

DOCTOR 

Well,  see  you  take  better  care  of  it  this  year! 

MACK  (to  Pierre) 

Come,  now,  sing  your  snowbird,  man,  before 
Exxor  is  off  again ! 

BATEESE 

Dat  chanson!  O  God,  yes.  (Bateese  gets  out  a 
mouth  organ  and  accompanies  him.) 

PIERRE 
We  seeng!     (Sings.) 

"O  leetle  bird  dat's  come  to  us  w'en  stormy  win* 

she's  blowin', 
An*  ev'ry  fiel'  an'  mountaintop  is  cover  wit' 

de  snow; 
How    far   from    home    you're    flyin'    nobody's 

never  knowin', 

For  spen'  wit'  us  se  winter  tarn,  mon  cher 
petit  oiseau ! 

"We  alway  know  you're  comin'  w'en  we  hear 

de  firs'  beeg  storm 

A  sweepin'  from  de  sky  above,  an'  screamin' 
as  she  go — 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


Can    tell    you're   safe    inside   it,   w'ere   you're 

keepin'  nice  an'  warm, 

But  no  wan's  never  see  you  dere,  mon  cher 
petit  oiseau ! 

"Was  it  'way  behin'  de  mountain,  dat  de  nort' 

win'  ketch  you  sleepin' 
Mebbe  on  your  leetle  nes',  too,  an'  before  de 

wing  she  grow, 
LiP  you  up  an'  bring  you  dat  way,  till  some 

morning  fin*  you  peepin' 
Out  of  new  nes'  on  de  snow  dreef,  mon  pauv' 
petit  oiseau!" 

MACK 

Man,  that's  fine!  (He  wipes  his  eyes,  then  calls 
to  Harding  and  holds  up  three  fingers.)  A  minute 
— warm. 

(Harding  fills  three  glasses  with  whiskey ,  hot 
water  from  the  stove,  and  sugar.  Pierre ,  Eateese, 
and  Exxor  accept  their  glasses  with  smiles  and 
polite  bows.) 

EXXOR 

M'sieu'  Mack,  a  bon  New  Year!  (He  holds  up 
his  glass,  drinks,  and  smacks  his  lips.)  Whiskey 
chaud!  Hooraw! 

BATEESE   (tO  all) 

I  drink  sante!  Beeg  tarn,  Noel!  (He  drinks 
and  bows.) 

PIERRE  (business-like) 

It'ankyou.  I  drink.  I  seeng!  (He  drinks,  wipes 
his  mouth,  and  nods  to  Eateese.  He  sings.) 

85 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


"No  wan  say  you  sing  lak  robin,  but  you  got  no 

tarn  for  singing 
So  busy  it  was  keepin*  you  get  breakfas*  on 

de  snow; 
But  de  small  note  you  was  geev  us,  w'en  it  join 

de  sleighbell  ringin* 

Mak*  de  true  Canadian  music,  mon  cher  petit 
oiseau ! 

"O  de  long  an*  lonesome  winter,  if  you're  never 

comin*  near  us! 
If  we  miss  you  on  de  roadside,  an*  on  all  de 

place  below! 
But  le  bon  Dieu  he  will  sen*  you  troo  de  storm 

again  for  cheer  us, 

Wen  we  mos'  was  need  you  here,  too,  mon 
cher  petit  oiseau!'* 

(Mack  wipes  his  eyes.     The  Doctor  coughs.) 

EXXOR 
We  mak  voyage  now! 

BATEESE  (stowing  away  his  mouth  organ  and  pick 
ing  up  the  big  pack) 
All  right.     Stay  too  moche  tarn! 

PIERRE  (bowing,  after  putting  the  pack  on  his  back) 
Bon  soir,  messieurs! 

(Then  they  all  turn  toward  the  Christmas  tree, 
crossing  themselves  reverently.  Suddenly  there  is 
heard  a  cry.) 

PIERRE 
Wat    dat — bird's    wing    strikin'    de    winder? 

(Instantly  the  French  Canadians  are  all  full  of 
superstitious  fear.) 

86 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


BATEESE 

A  log  runnin'  down  de  rapide? 
EXXOR 

Sapre  tonnerre,  an*  ten  miles  away?    Non! 
PIERRE 

Ma  heart  drummin'!    C'est  la  chasse  gal'rie! 

EXXOR 

La  chasse  gal'rie — beeg  canoe? 

BATEESE 

Non,  wir  goose  crying!  Pass  late.  Tiens! 
Dead  man  canoe — non! 

EXXOR 

Sapristi,  kip  your  head.  We  brave  Canayen! 
(He  turns.)  We  go.  Allez,  bien  vite! 

(They  go,  all  three  loudly  singing  "De  Snow 
Bird"  as  if  for  courage.  The  door  is  opened;  the 
lamps  suck  and  flare;  snow  blows  in;  the  door  is 
closed.  For  a  few  minutes  or  so  their  voices  are 
audible,  singing.) 

MACK 

They're  good-hearted  fellows! 

DOCTOR 

Yes,  they  are,  as  simple-hearted  as  children, 
kindly,  industrious. 

HARDING 

But  before  morning  they  will  be  jumping  on 
one  another's  faces  with  those  spiked  boots  of 
theirs. 
DOCTOR 

Yes,  last  year  they  brought  Pierre  to  me.    His 
face   was   shredded   in   a   dozen    places   where 
Bateese  had  stamped  his  spiked  boot  into  it. 
87 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MACK  (aghast) 

Man,  man,  why? 
DOCTOR  (laconically) 

Drink.    (To  Harding.}  And  you  sold  it  to  them! 

HARDING 

It's  a  free  country,  Doctor. 
(A  noise  is  heard  on  the  porch.) 

DOCTOR 

What's  that? 

MACK 

Was  it  a  rabbit,  man? 

(The  door  opens  a  little -,  then  it  bursts  open  and  is 
flung  against  the  jamb  by  the  violence  of  the  wind; 
a  whirl  of  wind  and  snow  rushes  in;  the  lamp 
smokes,  flare 's,  and  goes  out.  Pearl  comes  in. 
The  Doctor  jumps  to  close  the  door.  Harding 
lights  the  lamp  again.  Pearl  shrinks ,  frightened, 
against  the  window.  Her  little  hands  are  un 
covered  and  almost  frozen.  Her  face  is  strained, 
terrified,  and  stained  with  tears.  Her  cap  is 
pushed  back  and  the  long  scar  shows  on  her 
forehead.) 

PEARL  (blinking  in  the  light) 

Please,  sir— 
DOCTOR  (stooping  over  her) 

Well,  well,  well! 
PEARL  (frightened) 

Please,  sir,  my  fingers  are  cold  and  the  door 

slipped. 
HARDING  (not  unkindly) 

Yes,  yes,  that's  all  right,  all  right. 
88 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR  (examining  the  scar  on  her  forehead] 

Well,  here  we  are! 
PEARL  (her  eyes  blinking  under  the  lighty  her  little 

body  quivering) 

Yes,  sir. 
MACK 

Where's  your  mither,  bairn? 
PEARL 

Please,  sir,  she's  gone  to  the  Doctor's  house. 
DOCTOR  (smiling) 

Oh,  so  that's  it,  and  you've  come  to  wait  here. 

MACK 

Your  grandfayther  went  out  looking  for  ye. 
PEARL  (to  Harding) 

Please,  sir,  I've  come  to  buy  something. 
DOCTOR  (leaning  over  her  and  looking  at  the  scar) 

Come  closer.     (He  tilts  her  snow-wet  face  back 

and  studies   the  deep   scar  across   her  temple.) 

Too  bad! 
PEARL 

Yes,  sir,  the  lamp  did  it. 

(The  Doctor  thrusts  his  hand  into  his  pocket.) 

MACK 

Nay,  man.  I've  no  bairn  of  me  ain.  Let  me! 
(He  gives  her  several  bright  silver  pieces,  lifting 
the  frostbitten  hands  and  opening  them  gently  to 
put  in  the  coins.)  There.  Christmas  is  coming. 

(The  Doctor's  hand  comes  out  of  his  pocket,  and 
hey  too,  puts  a  silver  piece  into  Pearl's  hand.) 

DOCTOR 

Here,  Harding,  give  the  child  the  best  mittens 
you  have — those  like  my  Rose's. 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


MACK  (giving  Harding  some  money,  whispers) 
We'll  light  the  tree  for  the  bairn?    Aye?    (Har 
ding  nods.) 

(With  genial  winks  for  Mack  and  Old  Joe,  the 
Doctor ',  Old  Joe,  and  Mack  go  over  to  the  tree  and 
begin  to  light  the  candles.  They  strike  many 
matches,  burn  their  fingers,  and  are  as  busy  as 
women.) 

HARDING  (from  behind  the  counter  by  the  door) 
So  it's  mittens. 

(Pearl  presses  up  to  the  counter,  lifts  her  thin 
little  chin,  looks  out  of  her  frightened,  reddened 
eyes  into  the  face  of  the  men  above  her.) 

PEARL 

Please,  sir,  not  mittens;  something  to  eat. 
HARDING  (surprised) 
Hey,  you're  hungry? 

(Pearl,  thinking  he  is  angry  with  her,  shrinks 
back,  then  holds  out  a  coin.) 

PEARL 

Please,  sir,  something  to  eat  with  this. 
HARDING  (taking  the  coin) 

Didn't  you  have  any  dinner? 
PEARL 

Please,  sir,  no;  but  this  is  my  money.     They 

gave  it  to  me. 

(Harding  turns  his  back  on  her  and  begins  to 
jerk  out  and  thump  down  on  the  counter  bread, 
butter,  cheese,  cookies,  etc.) 

HARDING 

Eat!     You   can't   eat   the   worth   of  all   that 
90 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


money.    That's  a  safe  proposition.     (Growling, 

he  turns  his  back  on  Pearl.) 
PEARL  (tremulously) 

Please,  sir,  I  haven't  time  to  eat. 
HARDING  (turning  around) 

Haven't  time  to  eat? 
PEARL  (pointing  to  the  bread  and  butter) 

Please,  sir,  can   I   buy  this  with   the  money? 

(She  points  to  the  loaves  and  holds  up  another 

piece  of  money.) 
HARDING  (his  face  a  study  of  much  greed  and  some 

pity) 

Take  it  all!    Take  it  all !    (He  pushes  the  money 

away  and  it  clatters  onto  the  floor.)      Now  the 

mittens! 

(Pearl  wraps  her  little  arms  about  the  loaves  of 
bread  and  is  gone  suddenly  and  silently ,  while 
Harding  is  looking  for  the  mittens,  the  door 
closing  quietly.  Harding  turns,  dangling  the 
mittens.) 

HARDING 

Here  they  are!  Where's  that  child?  (They  all 
turn  from  the  tree  surprised.  Pearl  is  gone. 
He  gazes  over  the  counter  to  be  sure  the  child  has 
not  fallen  behind  it.  Then  he  runs  and  jerks 
open  the  door.)  Hey,  you've  forgotten  your 
mittens!  (There  is  no  answer.  He  stands  still,  as 
if  something  had  struck  him.)  O  God,  damn  the 
children ! 

MACK  (running forward,  aghast) 
She's  no  gone  out  into  this? 

HARDING 

Yes. 

91 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR 

She's  only  crossed  the  street  to  my  house. 

MACK 

Aye,  man,  afraid  to  wait  here,  with  nothing  but 

men,  till  her  mither  came. 
DOCTOR 

Can  you  see  the  lamp  in  the  window  where  I 

told  my  wife  to  set  it? 
MACK  (looking  out) 

Yes,  and  the  little  thing  traveling  that  way. 

HARDING 

Well,  that's  it;  that's  all  right,  then.     (Some 
what  easier,  he  closes  the  door.) 

MACK 

Aye,  aye,  the  little  things  canna  do  without 
their  mithers!    (Uneasily,  and  still  by  window?) 

HARDING 

Well,  there  are  all  them  candles  burning.    Help 
blow  'em  out,  will  you? 
MACK  (starting  to  blow,  then  stopping) 

You  don't  suppose  Pearl  would  try  to  go  to 
her  fayther,  do  you? 

DOCTOR 

No,  no!     Her  mother  sent  her  here   to   buy 
something  for  their  Christmas  Day. 

MACK 

Aye,  and  the  child  has  run  back  to  her.     (He 

finishes  blowing  out  the  candles?) 

HARDING 

So  much  candle  wasted! 

MACK 

Nay,  man,  a  good  intention  is  no  waste. 
92 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(They  all  return  to  stove.  Just  as  they  are  sitting 
down  the  door  opens  and  Stephen  Short  comes  in.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (pulling  ojf  his  gloves) 

Well,  that's  done! 
MACK 

Weel,  'tis  one  of  the  things  I  could  do  without 

doing!    But  the  law's  the  law,  and  we  canna  do 

without  that! 

(Stephen  Short  sees  on  the  floor  the  quarter  which 
was  pushed  off,  picks  it  up  and  holds  it  under  the 
lamp.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Yes,  and  the  law  cares  whether  Pearl  has  a 
childhood  or  not.  Harding  doesn't.  (He  reads 
the  lettering  on  the  quarter.)  "In  God  We  Trust." 

HARDING  (bursts  into  cynical  laughter) 

That's  good  for  you  to  be  reading.  Here,  give 
that  here.  You  don't  trust  in  no  God.  What 
you  trust  in  is  the  arm  of  the  law,  which  has 
got  about  as  little  to  do  with  God  as- 

MACK 

Hech,  man,  ye're  violent! 

DOCTOR 

In  what  shape  did  you  leave  Ambrose? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Drunk,  of  course.  It  was  a  struggle  to  get 
there. 

MACK 

He  was  a  bit  soberer  for  that. 
DOCTOR 

How  long  did  it  take  you? 
93 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN  SHORT 

It  took  us  over  twenty  minutes  to  go  that 
quarter  of  a  mile. 

MACK 

Oh,  God,  man,  it's  an  awful  hole — that  lockup 
set  in  the  hollow — in  which  to  put  a  man  on 
Christmas  Eve! 

(Stephen  Short  stares  at  Mack.) 

DOCTOR  (hearing  a  noise) 
What's  that? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Nothing.  (Listening.)  Perhaps  those  Kanucks, 
who  passed  me  again  as  I  was  coming  back. 

(Now  is  heard  a  long,  hungry,  wild  cry.) 

DOCTOR 

What's  that,  Stephen?     Don't  you  hear  that? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

I  do.    (The  cry  comes  again.)    There  it  is  again! 
MACK  (to  Stephen  Short) 

God,  that's  an  awful  sound!  What  has  hap 
pened,  man? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Nothing.  If  it  isn't  those  Kanucks  whooping 
it  up,  it's  a  dog  howling  or  a  Canada  lynx  lost 
in  the  storm. 

( The  long,  wild,  hungry  cry  comes  again.) 

DOCTOR 

It's  no  dog  and  no  lynx,  but  I  don't  know  what 
it  is.  Isn't  it  over  there  to  the  south  instead 
of  the  west? 

94 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN   SHORT 

No,  it's  there  by  the  lockup.  (He  (urns  and 
shakes  his  fist  at  Harding.)  What'd  you  ever 
sell  him  that  stuff  for?  If  he  couldn't  have  got 
it,  he  wouldn't  have  to  be  there  tonight. 
What'd  you  sell  it  for? 

HARDING 

That's  a  fool  question  to  ask.     Where's  my 
living  to  come  from,  I'd  like  to  know? 
DOCTOR 

Your  grocery  business,  and — 

HARDING 

The  packers  have  got  it  fixed  so  as  an  empty 
tin  can  is  all  the  profit  I  ever  get  out  of  the 
grocery  business.  Why,  where  I  sell  two 
dollars'  worth  of  candy  and  one  dollar's  worth 
of  tea  and  coffee  and  a  few  cents'  worth  of 
chewing  gum,  I  can  sell  twenty  dollars'  worth 
of  booze. 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Twenty  dollars'  worth  of  hell! 
HARDING  (sullenly) 

Well,  a  man  should  have  the  right  to  buy  or 
sell  hell  in  this  country  if  he  wants  to. 

DOCTOR 

Who  gives  the  right  to  him? 

HARDING  (evasively) 

Well,  I'm  temperance,  strictly  temperance  my 
self — never  touch  a  drop. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Just  the  same,  you're  the  man  should  be  up 
there  in  that  lockup! 

95 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

You  mind  your  own  business,  Stephen  Short. 
This  is  a  moral  store,  and  I'm  strictly  temper 
ance  myself. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

You  sn — 

MACK 

Tut,  tut!  Harding  is  a  man  o'  purpose  and 
Ambrose  Clark  has  none. 

DOCTOR 

Has  none!  He  has  a  purpose.  Look  at  the 
way  he  slaves  to  succeed  in  that  purpose.  He's 
using  up  enough  energy  to  run  ten  first-rate 
lives ! 

STEPHEN  SHORT  (angry  and  puzzled) 
Then  what  did  I  put  him  in  the  lockup  for? 

DOCTOR  (paying  no  attention ,  and  angry  ^  too) 
If  you'd  a  horse  got  the  blind  staggers,  Stephen 
Short,  you'd  do  what  you  could  to  cure  it.  But 
if  it's  a  man,  not  one  of  you  would  lift  a  finger 
to  keep  him  from  smashing  himself  and  his 
whole  family  to  pieces! 

HARDING 

Well,  that's  his  business  and  his  family's,  ain't 
it,  Doctor? 

DOCTOR 

No,  it's  ours.  These  lamps  shining  out  there 
in  this  blizzard  don't  belong  to  themselves; 
they  belong  to  us  all,  to  the  town  of  Northerly. 
And  I  say  there  isn't  a  man  here  belongs  to 
himself.  Every  bit  of  him — flesh,  bone,  and — 

MACK 

Aye,  aye,  Doctor,  that  will  na  work!    That's 
thee-ory — thee-ory,  man! 
96 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR  (shortly) 

Theory,  is  it?  No,  by  God,  Mack,  that's  fact, 
and  no  theory! 

HARDING 

If  the  men  ought  to  be  held  back,  the  women 
ought  to  do  it! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

What  power  has  the  law  given  women? 

HARDING 

Well,  if  anything's  wrong  in  a  family,  it's  the 
women  folk  is  to  blame! 

DOCTOR 

Don't  you  mean  it's  the  women  who  get  blamed? 

MACK. 

There!  There!  (Laughing gravely.)  I  tell  you 
a  woman  is  so  far  above  a  man  he  canna  even 
see  her  sometimes!  Just  look  at  the  way  that 
little  thing  mithers  her  own  fayther! 

DOCTOR 

When  she  crossed  the  street  with  those  loaves 
of  bread  in  her  arms,  was  she  thinking  more  of 
her  father  than  she  was  of  herself? 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Listen!      What's  that? 
(They  all  hear  steps  running?) 

MACK 

Someone  coming! 

DOCTOR 

On  the  porch ! 

(The  door  bursts  open.  Pierre  y  Exxor,  and 
Bateese  whirl  in.  The  men  close  the  door.) 

97 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


BATEESE 

Dat  storm  she  comin'  bad! 
PIERRE  (stacking  snowshoes) 

We  no  go — beeg  storm! 
EXXOR 

The  storm  she  scream  an'  HP  you  up,  comme  c.a. 

(He  jumps  into  the  air.) 
PIERRE 

Leetle  girl — she  go. 

BATEESE 

No,  dat  was  some  leetle  bird. 
PIERRE  (shaking  his  head) 

Non,  sapre  maudit,  dat  leetle  girl  by  lockup, 

no  leetle  bird! 
DOCTOR 

What  little  girl  out  in  this  storm? 

BATEESE 

Leetle  bird — snow  bird. 
PIERRE 

Non,  dat  leetle  girl!     She  cry  lak  leetle  bird — 

chee-ep,  comme  c,a! 
BATEESE  (quarrelsome) 

Non,  she  no  cry,  she  no  answer. 
PIERRE 

She   cry — chee-ee-eep ! 
EXXOR 

Non,    dat    de    Nor'eas'   win*   drivin'   de    sky 

canoe. 
PIERRE 

Bagosh,  dat  leetle  girl! 

BATEESE 

Non,  dat  leetle  bird! 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


EXXOR 

Non,  ba  God,  phan-tome  canoe  of  dead  man— 
c'est  la  chasse  gal'rie! 

(They  begin  to  shout  angrily  at  each  other.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Here,  you  men  have  been  drinking.  Go  sit 
down  and  be  quiet. 

(They  go  over  by  the  stove  and  sit  down , growling.) 

MACK 

What  is  it  they  think  they've  seen? 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

I  don't  know.    TheyVe  been  drinking.    Some 
thing  about  a  canoe  in  the  sky! 
DOCTOR 
Or  something  about  a  little  bird  or  a  little  girl. 

(Heavy,  slow  steps  are  heard  on  the  porch.) 

DOCTOR 

Someone  else  is  coming. 

HARDING 

Yes,  sounds  like  Old  Joe. 

(The  door  opens  and  in  stagger  Old  Joe  and 
Sybil  dark,  exhausted  and  disheveled.) 

OLD  JOE  (brushing  her  off  tenderly) 

Now,  Sybil;  now,  Sybil;  she'll  be  here  some 
where. 

DOCTOR 

Why,  Mrs.  Clark,  what  is  the  matter? 

SYBIL  CLARK  (panting) 

I  can't  find  her!  I  can't  find  her!  The  storm 
ankle-deep  —  knee-deep  —  blackness  —  I  heard 
Ambrose  laughing— 

99 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN   SHORT 

No,  ma'am,  you  couldn't.  He's  safe  in  the 
lockup. 

OLD  JOE 

We  couldn't  find  the  child,  and  the  storm  has 
frightened  her!  (To  Sybil.)  There,  dear, 
there!  Depend  upon  it,  Father  will  make  it 
all  right. 

SYBIL  CLARK   (wildly) 

I  heard  his  step — clip-clop,  clip-clop!  Listen! 
He's  taken  her  away! 

(The  beat  of  the  step  is  heard.) 

MACK 

Aye,  weel,  it  sounds  like  a  step,  but  'tis  bough 
striking  on  bough  out  there  in  the  storm. 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

That's  what   you   heard,   Mrs.    Clark.     Your 

husband  is  safe  enough. 
OLD  JOE 

She's  beside  herself. 
PIERRE 

Dat  leetle  girl  by  beeg  lockup. 

BATEESE 

No  leetle  girl;  leetle  bird  cryin'!    O  God,  yes! 
DOCTOR 

Be  quiet,  boys!  (Not  understanding.)  Did  you 
take  her  with  you,  Mrs.  Clark? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

I  left  her  there.  When  I  reached  the  house, 
the  windows  were  dark,  the  candle  had  burned 
down  to  the  socket,  the  fire  was  out. 

MACK 

Aye,  but — 

100 


THE    SUN 


OLD  JOE  ',:,,!:'  v -'• 

I  found  Sybil  working  over  the  stove,  and  then 
she  went  to  look  for  Pearl 

SYBIL  CLARK 

But  she  wasn't  there — not  anywhere.     I  called 
— I  told  her  I  had  something  for  her  to  cat- 
she  wasn't  in  the  kitchen,  she  wasn't  in  her 
bed — she  wasn't  upstairs.    SHE  WAS  GONE! 
DOCTOR 

There,  there,  Mrs.  Clark,  Pearl  was  here.  We 
let  the  child  go  across  to  my  house. 

MACK 

Aye,  ma'am,  the  bairn  was  looking  for  ye. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

She's  safe  with  Mrs.  Brown  now. 
OLD  JOE  (patting  her  on  the  back) 

There,  Sybil,  there!    What  did  I  say?    There, 

there,  there! 
SYBIL  CLARK  (half  reassured) 

Oh,  I  thought  she  might  have  tried  to  go  to 

the  lockup!    Pearl's  not  strong,  and  she  would 

perish  struggling  through  this  storm. 
DOCTOR 

No,  Mrs.  Clark,  Stephen  is  right.     She  is  safe 

with  Mrs.  Brown  now. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

She's  safe,  thank  God!    How — long — ago — was 
it  that  she  went  to  your  house? 
DOCTOR 

Just  after  your  father  started  up  the  hill  to 
look  for  you.  (Encouragingly^  Depend  upon 
it,  Mrs.  Clark,  Pearl  has  only  missed  you, 
that  is  all. 

101 


;.-;>     \:   ;THE  SUN  CHASER 


Don't  borrow  trouble,  ma'am.    We  were  light 

ing  the  Christmas  tree  for  her,  but  she  had  to 

go  find  you. 
DOCTOR 

We  saw  her  crossing  the  street  to  you,  didn't 

we,  Mack? 
MACK 

Aye,  we  saw  her,  man.    She's  safe. 
PIERRE  (obstinately) 

Non,  leetle  girl  in  blizzard.     She  cry. 

(The  Frenchmen  are  drinking  more  and  more) 

EXXOR 

Non,  dat   de  Nor'eas'  win'  jomp   aroun'   lak 
mooshrat!    Leetle  girl  safe. 

MACK 

Aye,  ma'am,  she's  with  Mrs.  Brown  now,  eat 
ing  her  bit  o'  supper. 
DOCTOR 

I'll  go  across  to  fetch  her  while  you  rest  here. 

SYBIL  CLARK 

I'm  going!     I'm  going  with  you! 
OLD  JOE 

No,  Sybil,  no,  dear,  you  stay  with  Father. 

MACK 

No,  ma'am,  'twould  na  be  common  sense  to 
go  out  in  this  again. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Let  the  Doctor  bring  the  child  to  you,  Mrs. 
Clark. 

OLD  JOE 

The  storm  has  been  most  too  much  for  us. 

(The  Doctor  goes  out) 

1  02 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


HARDING 

You  will  have  Pearl  in  a  minute. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (sighing  with  relief,  but  not  yet  quite 
herself) 
It  would  have  killed  me  to  lose  Pearl! 

OLD  JOE 

There,  dear,  there! 

SYBIL  CLARK  (looks  up  at  the  men) 

You  don't  quite  understand,  do  you?  Men 
never  do — even  good  men.  (Childlike  to  Hard 
ing.)  Mr.  Harding,  it  is  Christmas  Eve. 
Could  you  promise  me  not  to  let  my  husband 
drink  here  any  more?  (Harding  says  nothing. 
And  she  holds  out  some  money.)  Make  him 
promise,  Father. 

OLD  JOE  (to  Harding) 

It's  Christmas  Eve.    Couldn't  you  promise  her? 

MACK 

Aye,  man,  promise! 

HARDING  (snarling) 

Here,  you  quit  this  begging  for  her  or  I'll  tell 
what  you  had  in  your  hands  a  while  ago  when 
you  stood  over  Ambrose. 

(Old  Joe  shrinks  back.) 

SYBIL  CLARK 

I  was  going  to  buy  some  canton  flannel  for 
nightgowns  for  Pearl — she  sleeps  so  cold— 
but— 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

I  wouldn't  urge  it  now,  Mrs.  Clark.    Ambrose 
is  safe  enough  for  a  long  time. 
103 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SYBIL  CLARK  (unheeding) 

I'll  give  this  to  you  if  you  could  promise  me 

never  to  let  Ambrose  touch  a  drop  of  liquor 

here. 
HARDING  (shaking  his  head) 

Well,  Mrs.  Clark,  you  see— 

SYBIL  CLARK 

I  would  bring  you  everything  I  earn,  Mr. 
Harding.  You  needn't  give  me  anything  but 
your  promise  in  return.  (Harding  shakes  his 
head.)  You  were  so  kind  to  light  the  tree  for 
Pearl.  Would  you  just — 

OLD  JOE 

There,  dear,  there.    He  don't  want  to  do  it! 

MACK 

Men  are  different,  ma'am. 

SYBIL  CLARK  (again) 

You  don't  quite  understand,  do  you  ?  We  were 
so  happy  before  this — this  drinking  began. 
There  was  never  a  better  man  than  Ambrose. 
Sometimes  I  remember  how  good  he  was,  and 
this — this  seems  like  a  nightmare.  Couldn't 
you  promise? 

HARDING 

Business  is — 
OLD  JOE  (apologetically) 

You  see,  he  is  her  husband  and  Pearl's  father, 
and — and  she  has  loved  him. 

MACK 

Aye,  man,  it's  hard  for  anyone  to  understand 
it  all,  but  God  will  comprehend.  (He  lifts  his 
cap  reverently.) 

104 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


OLD  JOE 

It  might  be  Christmas  for  her  again  if — if  only 
you — 

HARDING 

And  how'd  you  want  to  celebrate  Christmas? 
Hey?    By  killing  him  with  a  mallet? 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Father! 

(The  door  opens  and  the  Doctor  comes  in  alone.) 

DOCTOR 

Pearl  was  not  there! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

Not  there!     Where — 
DOCTOR 

Quick,  Stephen,  get  a  lantern,  an  axe,  a  blanket, 
some  rope.     The  lockup. 

(Sybil  Clark  starts  forward  wildly.) 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

No,  Mrs.  Clark,  you  must  stay  here! 

DOCTOR 

Joe,  hold  her! 

(Old  Joe  Elvey  and  Mack  put  their  arms  about 
her  and  forcibly  detain  her.) 

SYBIL  CLARK  (struggles,  crying  out) 
My  baby!     My  baby!     Let  me  go! 

MACK 

No,  ma'am,  no! 

SYBIL  CLARK 

Oh!    Oh!    Don't  hold  me!    You're  hurting  me! 
Let   me   go!      (Still  struggling,   they  force   her 
105 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


down  into  a  chair.     She  throws  her  arms  about 

Old  Joe's  body  and,  sobbing  and  moaning,  leans 

her  head  against  him.) 
PIERRE  (drinking  heavily) 

Sapristi,  dat  leetle  girl! 
BATEESE  (very  ugly) 

Non,  bagosh,  dat  leetle  bird  cry! 
EXXOR 

Non,  dat  de  Nor'eas'  win'  driving  sky  canoe! 

BATEESE 

Non,  leetle  bird,  snowbird ! 
(They  begin  quarreling  again.) 

HARDING  (who  has  been  lighting  the  lantern) 
Here  it  is!    (He  gives  it  to  Stephen  Short,  together 
with  a  coll  of  rope.     The  Doctor  has  the  axe  and 
a  blanket?) 

(Sybil  Clark  cries  out.  Mack  and  Old  Joe  hold 
Sybil  Clark  back  as  the  Doctor  and  Stephen  Short 
go  out.) 

CURTAIN 


106 


ACT  IV 

THE  INTERIOR  OF  THE  LOCKUP 

//  is  a  room  about  twelve  feet  by  fourteen  feet.  There 
are  no  windows  in  it  and  only  one  entrance  or 
exit,  a  big,  heavy  wooden  door,  which  closes  like 
a  shutter  from  within  upon  the  immense  iron- 
grated  door.  The  base  of  this  is  hand-hewn 
timber  and  the  other  two-thirds  is  gigantic  riveted 
iron  bars.  The  shutter  is  crossed  by  a  huge  iron 
thumb-latch,  but  not  otherwise  locked.  The  door 
and  latch  rattle  in  the  storm.  There  is  no  stove 
in  the  room,  no  provision  of  any  kind  for  human 
comfort  except  a  straw  shakedown  and  some 
blankets  in  the  right-hand  corner.  The  walls  are 
rough  wooden  walls  of  massive  timbers,  clumsily 
matched  and  chinked;  the  ceiling  is  low  and 
heavily  timbered. 

From  without  the  dull  boom  and  thunder  of  the 
storm  is  audible  in  the  pitch-black  room.  After 
the  wooden  shutter  door  is  opened,  the  room  is 
flooded  with  snowlight  which  shows  the  steep 
bank-side  slope  leading  on  to  the  lockup,  and  there 
is  heard  the  incessant  whistle  and  scream  of  the 
wind  and  the  drive  of  the  mighty  snowstorm. 

The  Sun  Chaser  lies  on  the  straw  shakedown,  the 
blankets  thrown  aside  in  his  delirium,  his  wooden- 
shod  foot  beating  heavily  on  the  floor. 

SUN  CHASER  (mutters  slowly) 

Fight  through  all  to  the  sun  at  last — that's  it- 
fight    a    way    through.      (Crying   out.)      Aah- 
107 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


yaiah!  (Convulsed,  he  flings  himself  toward  the 
door.)  Door  open — sun  out!  (He  laughs  and 
shakes  his  tawny  hair.)  Door  open!  (He fingers 
the  thumb-latch  and  pulls  open  the  inside  wooden 
shutter  door.  The  room  is  suddenly  flooded  with 
snowlight  bright  like  cut  steel  and  filled  with  the 
sound  of  the  whistle  and  scream  of  the  mighty 
snowstorm.  The  Sun  Chaser  shrinks  back.) 
Oh-h!  Where's  sun?  (He  runs  around  the  sides  of 
the  room  as  if  he  were  following  a  path:  clip-clop, 
clippity-clop;  clip-clop ,  clippity-clop;  clippity -clip- 
pity-clop)  Here's  path  out!  (He pauses)  There's 
sun !  Go  find  Pearl.  (He  stands  by  the  immense 
iron  grating  for  an  instant,  lashed  by  the  wind 
and  the  snow  driving  in.  He  touches  some  snow  on 
him.)  Sun  burned  to  ashes?  Oh-h!  Cold 
ashes!  (He  runs  around  the  sides  of  the  lockup 
again:  clip-clop ,  clippity-clop^  clip-clop)  The 
sun !  The  sun !  Not  dead !  (He  grasps  the  bars 
and  looks  out  steadily)  Sun  has  set.  (He  falls 
back  on  the  straw  shakedown,  his  head  by  the  door) 
Can't  get  out!  (The  snow  whirls  about  his 
head)  Ashes  cold!  Can't  get  out!  (He  lies 
stilly  his  wooden-shod  foot  twitching.  From 
without  comes  a  cry.) 

PEARL 

Father!  Father!  (There  is  no  answer,  only  the 
twitching  of  the  Sun  Chaser  s  wooden-shod  foot) 
Father,  I  can't  find  the  way  in!  Are  you 
there?  (There  is  no  answer.  Pearl's  head  be 
comes  visible,  pressed  to  the  grating)  Father, 
Father,  are  you  there?  (No  answer.)  Father, 
I'm  here!  (The  silence  continuing,  she  tries  to 
see  in,  but  cannot.  The  wind  is  whistling  and 
1 08 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


screaming  about  the  bars  and  the  snow  is  lashing 
the  grating.) 

SUN  CHASER  (moaning  on  the  straw  shakedown) 
Aah — yaiah!  The  sun — plenty  of  joy,  plenty 
of  joy  for  all! 

PEARL  (pounding  on  the  door  with  one  little  hand) 
Father,  Father,  I'm  here!  I've  brought  you 
something  to  eat! 

SUN  CHASER  (not  answering,  but  murmuring  heavily, 
as  if  what  he  said  went  over  and  over  like  a  cart 
wheel  of  words) 

Plenty  of  joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all — plenty  of 
joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all! 

PEARL 

Oh,  Father,  one  loaf  of  bread  has  fallen  in  the 
snow!  (Her  little  head  disappears  while  she 
searches  for  the  bread.  Again  she  pounds  on  the 
door.)  It's  here,  Father;  I  found  it.  Can't  you 
let  me  in  ?  (No  answer.)  I'll  break  it  up  for  you, 
Father.  (She  divides  the  loaf  roughly  and  pushes 
it  through  the  bars,  except  some  pieces  of  crust 
which  stick  and  will  not  go  through.)  Father,  I 
feel  so  cold.  And  I'm  hungry,  too.  Couldn't 
you  let  me  in?  (No  answer.)  My  hands  are 
so  cold,  Father.  Couldn't  you  let  me  in  to 
warm  them  so  I  could  eat? 

SUN  CHASER  (the  heavy  cart  wheel  of  words  turning 
over  and  over) 

Plenty  of  joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all — plenty  of 
joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all! 

PEARL 

Oh,   Father,   if  you're   there,   why   don't   you 
speak  to  me?    (She  reaches  up,  clutches  the  bars 
with  her  stiffening  fingers ',  draws  herself  up  and 
109 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


clings  there  like  some  storm-beaten  bird,  toes 
thrust  between  bars  and  hands  clinging  to  the 
grating.  She  is  terrified  at  last,  and  her  words 
beat  wing-like  and  frantic  on  the  lockup^)  Father, 
I'm  here!  Oh,  Father,  here  is  bread  for  you 
and  me  both  to  eat!  My  hands  are  so  cold! 
Can't  you  please  let  me  in  to  warm  them?  I'll 
feed  you,  Father.  The  snow  bites  and  my 
hands  hurt!  Father,  they  hurt!  I  can't  move 
them  any  more.  Father,  don't  you  see  the  bread 
I  brought  you?  You  needn't  be  hungry  any 
more — ever  any  more — there's  bread — and — 
bread —  (Her  voice  grows  less  clear,  and  she 
clings  there,  the  little  head  dropping  back  helplessly 
from  time  to  time.)  Father,  I'll  stay  here  with 
you! 

SUN  CHASER  (moaning) 

Plenty  of  joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all — plenty  of 
joy — plenty  of  joy  for  all! 

PEARL 
Father,  I  won't  ever  leave  you! 

(Then ,  from  the  old  ragged  shoes  that  cannot  bear 
the  strain,  her  feet  slip,  the  weight  of  her  body 
jerks  her  frozen  fingers  loose,  and  she  falls  back 
ward  and  lies  whimpering  a  little  in  the  snow  of 
the  steep  bank-side.  One  little  shoe  remains  fast 
between  the  bars,  but  the  other  tumbles  in  on  the 
Sun  Chasers  head, rousing  him  partially  from  his 
stupefied  state.  His  hands  twitch.  His  feet 
move  convulsively  as  he  draws  leather-shod  up 
under  him  and  leans  forward  with  his  hand  on 
wooden-shod^) 

no 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SUN  CHASER  (vaguely) 

Sun  fell  in !  (He  feels  his  head,  then  looks  at  the  floor 

and  discovers  the  shoe.)    What's  that?   Bird?   Oh! 

(He  picks   up   a   black   button    which   has  been 

jerked  off  the  shoe.)     Rat's  eye!     (He  picks  up 

the  shoe.) 
PEARL  (in  a  dreamy  voice) 

Father,    you    needn't    worry    any   more.      It's 

feeling  warmer  out  here. 
SUN  CHASER  (hearing,  and  surprised) 

Oh!    Where's  sun?    Pearl,  you  there? 
PEARL  (dreamily) 

Father,  there's  light  out  here,  and  it's  warm 

and  sunny  out  here — like — like  being  close  to— 

to  Mother. 

(The  Sun  Chaser  lifts  himself,  holding  the  shoe  in 
his  right  hand  and  goes  to  the  grating.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Pearl,  you  there?  (There  is  no  answer,  and  he 
balances  the  shoe  on  his  hand.)  Weighs  something. 
(He  looks  in  it.)  Ashes !  (He  shakes  out  the  snow.) 
Not  sun!  (He  holds  it  up  to  the  snowlight  and 
laughs.)  Oho!  Little  Sun  Chasers  at  work! 
Oho!  (He  stands  still  for  a  few  seconds,  playing 
like  a  child  with  the  shoe.)  Little  Sun  Chasers! 

(He  runs  around  the  sides  of  the  room:  clip-clop, 
clippity-clop,  clip-clop,  and  comes  to  a  stand 
still  before  the  iron  grating.  He  stares  at  the 
bars,  each  bar  straight  and  black  in  the  silvery 
light.  He  sees  the  nodules  of  crust  between  the 
bars  and  his  eyes  grow  large  and  amazed.) 

in 


THE   SUN    CHASER 


SUN  CHASER  (touching  pieces  of  crust  with  the  little 
shoe) 

Something  there,  and  there,  and  there!  (He 
laughs.)  Something  sun  sent!  Lots  of  little 
Sun  Chasers !  (He  laughs  triumphantly  and  goes 
closer  to  the  bars.  He  touches  the  pieces  of  crust 
with  Pearl's  shoe.)  You,  and  you,  and  you! 
Change!  Fly  in!  (Then  he  touches  a  piece  of 
the  snow-covered  bread  with  his  finger  and  speaks 
in  the  voice  of  a  child  and  laughs  helplessly) 
Ouch!  Little  shoe  flew  in  to  me!  Fly  in, 
wings!  Sun  wings,  storm  wings,  bird  wings, 
all  wings!  (Now  he  gravely  matches  the  shoe  with 
each  piece  of  snow-covered  bread,  laughing  wildly 
like  a  child  delighted  with  a  new  game.  He  digs 
the  pieces  of  bread  out  from  between  the  bars 
with  the  toe  of  Pearl's  shoe,  repeating  as  each  one 
falls  to  the  floor)  Fly  in,  wings!  Birds  out  there 
— snowbirds!  (He  comes  to  the  other  shoe  and 
pauses ,  shaking  his  tawny  hair)  Two!  Should 
be  only  one!  Go  'way!  Go  'way!  Can't  fool 
me!  I'm  Sun  Chaser!  (The  other  shoe  remains 
between  the  bars.)  Why  don't  you  go  'way? 
(The  Sun  Chaser  leans  nearer  and  nearer,  under 
his  hot  breath  the  snowflakes  melting  on  the 
copper  toe)  Are  you — are  you,  little  shoe — are 
you  there?  (With  the  shoe  in  his  hand,  he 
makes  a  few  passes  around  his  head,  laughing 
loudly  and  shaking  his  tawny  hair  in  childish 
delight  over  the  comicality  of  the  scene.  The  shoe 
in  his  hand  glides  past  the  side  of  his  head  and 
strikes  the  other  shoe,  knocking  the  snow  from  it 
and  laying  bare  the  copper  toe)  Oho,  give  it  to 
me,  Pearl.  (The  Sun  Chaser  stops  and  stares 

112 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


stupidly.     He  puts  out  a  hand  and  touches  the 
copper  tip.)    Oh! 

(He  looks  down  at  the  shoe  in  his  hand  and 
then  out  through  the  bars.  He  sees  Pearl 
lying  there  on  the  snowdrift,  her  little  arms  held 
up  just  as  she  had  fallen,  her  little  fingers 
still  crooked,  as  they  had  been  when  the  weight  of 
her  body  jerked  her  hands  from  the  bars  and  she 
fell  backward.  He  presses  up  closer  to  the  bars, 
his  feet  crunching  on  the  bread,  and  on  the  snow 
which  is  drifting  in,  and  long  and  curiously  he 
looks  out  into  the  quicksilver  snowlight  of  the 
whirling  storm.  He  watches  the  copper  tip 
again.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Pearl!  (He  looks  about  the  dark,  unlighted 
room  and  out  into  the  storm.  He  drops  one 
shoe  that  is  in  his  hand  and  takes  hold  of  the 
bars  and  presses  his  face  against  them  just  above 
where  the  copper  toe  is  wedged  in  fast.  At  last, 
for  an  instant,  his  mind  is  very  clear.  He  knows 
where  he  is  and  what  has  happened)  Pearl, 
Pearl,  come  in  out  of  the  storm!  (He  grasps 
the  bars  and  rattles  them  until  the  whole  lockup 
shakes)  Pearl,  don't  lie  there!  Come  in! 
(The  shoe  in  his  hand  he  puts  between  his  teeth, 
and  grasping  the  bars,  shakes  them  until  the 
whole  building  cracks.  He  shouts.  He  cries) 
Pearl!  Pearl!  Come  in!  Aah-yaiah!  Come 
in!  Pearl!  Aah-yaiah!  Don't  lie  there! 
Aah-yaiah! 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


(For  answer  comes  the  wolfish  howl  of  the  tempest 
and  the  leaping  of  the  storm  upon  the  lockup  and 
the  drifting  of  the  snow  over  Pearl  until  she  is 
invisible  except  for  the  protruding  hands.  With 
a  yell  the  Sun  Chaser  flings  himself  again  and 
again  crashing  against  the  iron-barred  door  or 
races  around  the  walls  of  the  lockup:  clip-clop  ^ 
clippity-clippity-clop)  clip-clop.  The  voices  of  two 
men  shouting  to  each  other  are  heard.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Aah — yaiah!     Aah — yaiah! 
DOCTOR 

Come,  here's  the  path!    Make  haste! 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

He's  trying  to  get  out! 

DOCTOR 

Hurry!    Something  has  gone  wrong  in  there! 
SUN  CHASER  (maddened ,  frantic) 
Aah— yaiah!    Pearl!    Pearl! 

DOCTOR 

He's  calling  for  something. 

SUN  CHASER 

Pearl!  Aah— yaiah!  Pearl!  Pearl!  Aah— 
yaiah! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

It's  the  little  girl! 

DOCTOR 

She's  here  somewhere! 

SUN  CHASER 

Aah — yaiah!  Pearl!  Pearl!  Aah — yaiah!  Little 
shoe,  bring  her  in!    Aah — yaiah! 
114 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR 

Something  about  a  shoe!  (Shouting.)  Here, 
be  quiet! 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

We're  coming! 

DOCTOR 

Be  quiet! 

SUN    CHASER    (the    cry    rising    wildly    and   being 
whirled  off  into  the  vastness  of  the  storm) 
Pearl!    Pearl!    Pearl!    Aah— yaiah! 

( The  men  press  their  faces  against  the  grating.) 

DOCTOR 

It's  dark  inside.    Can  you  see  him  there? 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

No.     Has  he  got  out? 

DOCTOR 

See  there!    See  his  face,  his  eyes! 

SUN  CHASER 

Aah — yaiah!  Little  shoe,  bring  her  in — bring 
Pearl  in!  Bring  her  in — can't  get  out — bring 
her  in!  Aah — yaiah!  Pearl,  Pearl! 

(The  Doctor  holds  his  lantern  high  and  close  to 
the  bars.  Its  light  falls  on  the  tawny  hair,  the 
bloodshot  eyeSy  the  distorted  face,  the  clinging 
hands  of  the  Sun  Chaser,  and  upon  the  heel  of 
the  little  shoe  stuck  fast  between  the  bars.) 

DOCTOR 

Here's  her  shoe!  (He  takes  the  lantern  and  holds 
it  up,  stumbling  as  he  does  so.)  What's  this? 
(He  leans  over  and  takes  out  of  the  snow  a  loaf 
of  bread  still  in  its  paraffine  paper  wrapping?) 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


STEPHEN   SHORT 

Bread. 

(The  Doctor  holds  the  lantern  higher •,  his  face 
close  to  the  knotted,  clinging  fingers  of  the  Sun 
Chaser,  and  peers  farther  into  the  lockup.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Aah — yaiah!     (There  is  froth  upon  his  lips  and 
snow  shining  in  his  hair.     He  chatters  with  his 
teeth  and  shakes  his  hair  and,  clinging  to  the 
bars,  rattles  them.) 
DOCTOR 

He's  seen  her. 

STEPHEN   SHORT 

She's  here  somewhere! 
DOCTOR 

Pull  open  the  door! 

(They  open  the  door.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Waiting  for  the  sun — the  sun — the  sun.    Sun  up 

and  Pearl  found — little  Pearl! 
DOCTOR  (entering) 

She's  not  in  here! 
STEPHEN  SHORT  (frightened) 

Here !    Here !    (Digging  in  the  snow.)    She's  out 

here!      (He   brushes   away   the   snow  from   the 

child1  s  face.) 
DOCTOR  (turning  on  the  Sheriff) 

See  what  you've  done!    (Then  he  finishes  digging 

out  Pearl.) 

(Stephen   Short  stands  rigidly  looking  down  at 
the  swift  work  of  the  Doctor  in  uncovering  the 
116 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


child)  the  light  of  the  lantern  revealing  the  face 
and  the  white  throat.  The  Doctor  drops  on  his 
knees,  thrusts  his  arms  deep  into  the  snow  under 
the  child,  and  gathering  her  up  gently,  rises  to 
his  feet  again.  By  the  light  of  the  lantern  which 
Stephen  Short  now  holds,  Pearljs  arms  can  be 
seen  pointing  stiff  and  unmoving  upwards,  the 
little  fingers  still  crooked.  Her  eyes  are  closed, 
and  the  snowflakes  on  her  forehead  and  hair 
glisten  and  twinkle.  Stephen  Short  pushes  the  door 
farther  open.  They  step  into  the  cell.  The  Sun 
Chaser,  when  he  beholds  Pearl  and  the  Doctor, 
smiles  happily.  He  touches  the  lantern  and 
laughs,  childlike.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Sun  found  Pearl — little  Pearl  came  in — little 
shoe  brought  Pearl  in! 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Shall  I  stand  against  the  door? 
DOCTOR  (growling) 

No!  Somebody's  always  been  standing  against 
any  door  might  have  let  him  out. 

(The  Sun  Chaser  touches  his  lips  with  the  shoe 
he  holds  in  his  hand,  then  touches  the  child's 
cheek.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Little  shoe,  wake  Pearl!  Little  shoe,  wake 
Pearl!  More  sun!  More  sun!  (Suddenly  he 
leaps  into  the  air  and  starts  running  around  the 
cell,  laughing,  shaking  his  hair  and  clattering 
with  wooden-shod  and  leather-shod:  clip-clop,  clip- 
clop,  clip-clop.)  Going  after  it — going  after  it 
— going  after  more  sun  for  little  Pearl! 
117 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


DOCTOR 

Keep  that  door  open! 

(The  S  her  if  sets  his  lantern  down  and  turns  to 
push  the  door  open.) 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

Oh,  God,  Doctor,  don't  blame  me  for  all  this! 

DOCTOR  (chafing  Pearl's  hands  with  snow) 

See  the  child's  -hands — just  as  they  froze  cling 
ing  about  the  bars. 

SUN  CHASER  (seizing  the  lantern) 
Here's  sun.    Doctor,  here's  sun  for  little  Pearl! 

DOCTOR  (quietly) 

Set  it  down,  Ambrose.  I  need  it  just  there  for 
Pearl. 

(The  Sun  Chaser  puts  the  lantern  down  and  then 
sits  on  the  floor  beside  the  Doctor.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Pearl  asleep? 
DOCTOR 
Yes. 

SUN  CHASER 

Oh!  Sun  coming  to  my  Pearl.  (Stephen  Short 
drops  his  head  against  the  upright  of  the  open 
door.  The  Sun  Chaser  pauses  in  the  midst  of 
tossing  the  child's  shoe  up  into  the  air  and  looks 
at  the  Sheriff.)  Don't  cry,  boy!  Sun's  coming! 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

I  never  set  out  to  do  this!    Oh,  my  God! 

(The  Doctor  places  his  head  tenderly  near  Pearl's 
heart.      The    Sun    Chaser   continues    his   play, 
wooden-shod  on  the  knee  of  leather-shod,  kissing 
the  little  shoe  and  tossing  it  into  the  air.) 
118 


THE    SUN    CHASER 


SUN  CHASER  (reassuringly  and  smiling) 

Sun's  warm!     Never  mind! 
DOCTOR  (lifting  his  head  from  Pearl's  breast) 

Come,  we've  got  to  get  out  of  this. 

STEPHEN  SHORT 

You  can't  do  anything? 
DOCTOR  {shaking  his  head) 
They  are  waiting  back  there  for  us. 

(The  Sun  Chaser  leaps  into  the  air,  tosses  the 
shoe  to  Stephen  Short,  and  starts  running  about 
the  cell,  laughing  and  shaking  his  hair.) 

SUN  CHASER 

Going  after  sun  for  Pearl,  after  sun  for  Pearl. 
DOCTOR  (to  Stephen  Short  who  stands  sobbing  and 

holding  out  the  shoe) 

Come! 
SUN  CHASER  (nodding  his  head) 

Sun's  warm!     Plenty  of  joy  for  all! 

CURTAIN 


119 


T] 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


MAY   101935 


LD  21-100m-8,'34 


YB  31889 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


